It’s not difficult to imagine the kind of frenzy that will be whipped up when the Bangladesh colts, the new Under-19 World Cup cricket champions, will arrive at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport from South Africa.
The average cricket fan of Bangladesh is known to be often a bit of loose cannon – indulging in unwarranted outbursts against ‘big brothers’ India on the eve of any big game at the senior level.
Such passion tended to boil over among their players too when the Bangladesh players frequently went on an overt display of emotion in the final on Sunday – eventually ending with both teams getting involved in an altercation.
As early as in the second over of the match, India’s Divyaansh Saxena had tapped a ball back to bowler Tanzim Hasan Sakib, who picked it up and hurled it back, sending it flying not too far from the batsman’s head. It was followed by a bit of staring and mouthing-off and needed an intervention on the part of umpire.
When Yashasvi Jaiswal, the Man of the Tournament, left after topscoring for his team with 88, bowler Shoriful Islam couldn’t resist giving the Indian batter a bit of a send-off.
The ICC is understood to be taking the issue “seriously” ahead of a fuller update from match referee Graeme Labrooy.
However, in sharp contrast to them was skipper Akbar Ali, who showed a maturity far beyond his years when he kept his calm to score 43 off 77 deliveries to take his side over the line to win the Man of the Final award.
He endeared himself to cricket fans across the border when he apologised for his teammates’ behaviour after the match.
“What happened, it should not (have) happened,” Akbar said.
“I don’t know what exactly happened. I didn’t ask what was going on. But, you know, in the final, emotion can come out, and sometimes the boys were getting pumped, and emotions were coming through. As a youngster, it shouldn’t happen. In any position, in any manner, we have to show the respect to the opponent, we should have respect for the game.
“It’s a dream come true. It’s all about the hard work we have done over the last two years. The coaching staff…I just cannot thank them enough for how much support they have given us on and off the field. We’ve had a very good experience, and this is just the beginning for us. Hopefully, this will be the stepping stone for us,” said the skipper, who was also adjudged Player of the Final for his composed unbeaten 43.
“Cricket is known for being a gentleman’s game. So I’ll say, I’ll be sorry for my team,” he added.
Ali became quite an iconic figure as after the match, it was reported in the Bangladesh media that the 18-year-old was battling mental trauma after losing his elder sister days back.
A staunch supporter of Akbar, the youngest of four brothers and a sister, she had watched her brother lead Bangladesh to a nine-wicket victory against Zimbabwe on January 18 in a Group C game of the World Cup.
