Rousing welcome for Tigers

Tigers returned home to a rousing welcome by several thousand of cricket fans at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka this evening.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board directors received the players on their arrival at the airport around 7:50pm.

“After long time we are coming in our beautiful Bangladesh,” posts Taskin Ahmed on Facebook with a selfie of his teammates at Emirates Business Lounge in Dubai. The Bangladesh cricket team is scheduled to land at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 7:00pm.

The National Cricket Team players then held a press conference there to brief the media about their successful World Cup tour.

Several thousand fans with national flags, colourful banners and festoons were waiting on the airport premises in groups to greet their favourite players, reports our correspondents from the spot.

Fans with colourful banners and festoons are waiting on the Dhaka airport premises to greet their favourite players. Photo: Firoz Ahmed

According to BCB's media-wing chairman, a grand celebration will be arranged once President Nazmul Hassan Papon returns to the country.

The Tigers, who reached the knockout stages for the first time in their history, won't have much time to rest or even celebrate as Pakistan are scheduled to arrive in mid-April. As soon as this tour gets over South Africa will be arriving in July.

Fans with national flags, colourful banners and festoons are waiting on the Dhaka airport premises in groups to greet their favourite players. Photo: Firoz Ahmed

In their first group stage match, the Tigers beat Afghanistan by 105 runs, where Mushfiqur and Shakib both scored fifties and Mashrafe bagged three wickets. Such performance sparked a great hope among the Bangladeshi fans of a successful world cup tour.

Rain washed away the second match against Australia, splitting points between the Tigers and the Aussies. In the third match, Sri Lanka defeated Bangladesh bad by 92 runs.

Fans with colourful banners and festoons waiting on the Dhaka airport premises to greet their favourite players. Photo: Firoz Ahmed

The defeat against Sri Lanka surged a great enthusiasm among the Tigers that erupted in the last three matches of the group stage.

In their match against Scotland, the Tigers showed a matured play, defeating the Scottish side by six wickets after chasing down a huge total of 318.

The momentum continued in the match against England too. The Tigers managed a nail biting 15-run victory against the Brits to confirm a spot in the knockout stage.

Later, the Tigers faced host New Zealand in their last group stage match. The Kiwis managed to scrape past a challenging total of 288 for a three-wicket victory against Bangladesh.

And in the quarter finals, the Tigers had to defeat their Asian rival India to secure a seat in the semis. In the match, much criticised for controversial umpiring, the Tigers embraced a huge 109-run defeat to end their world cup journey.