Thank you, Dhaka!
Outside it was -13C. The (hopefully) last snowstorm of the season was in progress. It was just another typical winter morning here in Toronto.
Inside it was a much more heated affair. Those who should be getting ready to greet the day were, instead, glued to their laptop computers thanks to the wonder of web streaming. All attention was focused on the quarter-final of the ICC Cricket World Cup being played in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The cheers going up in the house were deafening at times. The celebratory stomping on the floor was getting out of hand.
But sooner, rather than later, the job was complete. The Pakistan cricket team reached the required total of 113 runs against the West Indies without forfeiting a single wicket. Speaking with presenter Rameez Raja at the end of the match, the triumphant captain Shahid Afridi thanked the nation, especially those Pakistanis who flew in to watch their team play.
And to think that all this happened on March 23 Pakistan Day. God is indeed great.
But one thing, one very important thing was missing. Some very important people got overlooked when it came to expressing gratitude. Namely the upwards of 23, 000 Bangladeshis who filled the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium to capacity and cheered every triumph of the Pakistan team to the point where one could be forgiven for thinking that our side was playing on home ground.
Because all around them in the stands were youths who wore green jerseys and had their faces painted green and white. Passionately waving Pakistani flags of all sizes, they chanted Bangladesh Zindabad, Pakistan Zindabad. Some Pakistani fans did reportedly fly in to lend their support, but mostly the rapturous cheering for Boom Boom and his boys was homegrown.
Its not too late. On behalf of Pakistanis everywhere a heartfelt thank-you goes out to the wonderful people of Dhaka and Bangladesh. The jubilation and excitement you expressed as each West Indian wicket fell echoed precisely our own sentiments. We could not be there in person, but your roars of joy represented our reactions perfectly. Sincerest thanks to you all from the very bottom of our hearts.
By rights our team captain should have done the honours by expressing his, his colleagues, and his nations gratitude to the host city. Considering the history of our two nations, it was no small thing to watch the people of Dhaka wave Pakistan flags as they did. And declare Pakistan Zindabad as they did time and time again.
Yes, it is true that time heals most wounds and cricket is (or should be) above politics, but the generous spirit of the Bangladeshi nation was nonetheless a tremendous sight to behold.
Afridis lapse in good manners is likely explained by the (very pleasant) surprise of inflicting such a crushing defeat on the West Indians. Boom Boom is well-loved figure among Bangladeshis, and for his part the Pakistan skipper had already declared that playing in Bangladesh is like playing at home. He can be forgiven for getting swept away by the excitement of the moment.
Forgiven more readily perhaps than one of his worthy predecessors, Imran Khan. Never comfortable as a public speaker, Khan really bungled it in Melbourne, Australia when he delivered the victory speech after lifting the 1992 World Cup on behalf of his side.
That spectacularly self-centered I, me and my speech, in which Khan mentioned neither his teammates nor his country, and instead dwelt on the twilight of his career and his cancer hospital, continues to live in infamy.
One hopes that should the time come, Afridi will not make the same mistake. And as for this, his present oversight, he really should make an effort, no matter how belated, to thank the people of Dhaka for the way they supported his team.
Because where he and his teammates are headed next, the unwavering adoration of cheering masses is likely to be a distant memory at best.
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