The time was 4:41 PM, on a Sunday. As soon as people exited through Gate No. 1 of Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, I had to stop in front of a long line of spectators. That line, which began near Gate No. 5, stretched all the way to the Proshika intersection. Despite the sweltering heat and turtle-paced movement, there was no sign of annoyance on the faces of fans adorned with tattoos, dressed in national team jerseys, and wearing red-green bandanas. The vuvuzela-like whistles echoing from their lips made it clear just how eager they were to reach the stands.
The occasion was a singular one—after 14 long months, Bangladesh was playing a T20 match again at the Home of Cricket. It wasn’t a holiday either; the city had just returned to its weekday hustle after the weekend. Yet the crowd overflowed. The stands began to fill even before the sun leaned westward. Initially, the cheers came sporadically, but once the cricketers started warming up, the supporters found their voice. The loudest roar came when Litton Das won the toss for Bangladesh in the first T20 of the series against Pakistan.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the floodlights lit up the ground. The heat of the day eased, but the fans’ roars only intensified with the first ball of Pakistan’s innings. In the first over, when Sheikh Mahedi Hasan induced a mistimed shot from Fakhar Zaman at fine leg, and Taskin Ahmed dropped the catch, there was some frustration. But fans forgave him quickly—in the very next over, Saim Ayub handed a catch to Rishad Hossain at deep fine leg, and Taskin was back in favor.
Tanzim Hasan Sakib came on to bowl the fifth over. On his first ball, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha managed a couple of runs over cover point. But the next four deliveries had Salman completely rattled—each was a good-length ball on a testing line. It was as if Salman was afraid to even touch the ball with his bat. Tanzim’s dominant bowling brought chants of “Bangladesh! Bangladesh!” from the gallery. Under pressure from consecutive dot balls, Salman tried a scoop shot off the last ball, but failed to connect properly and handed a catch to Litton Das.
From then on, it was Taskin and Mustafiz who kept the crowd engaged. Pakistan were restricted to just over 110 runs. Bangladesh’s batting didn’t begin smoothly, but fan support never wavered. Parvez Hossain Emon and Towhid Hridoy built a crucial partnership that turned the tide in Bangladesh’s favor. When it comes to T20 cricket, entertainment is key—and for that, fans could give a special thanks to Emon, who smashed five sixes. As for the crowd’s roar? You can only imagine.
Not long ago, while football saw a mass resurgence, the popularity of Bangladesh cricket seemed to be plummeting. A Test loss to Zimbabwe, empty stadiums, unsold TV rights—it was a mess on and off the field. Even overseas, where Litton and Taskin found some support (like in the UAE), the biggest blow came when Bangladesh lost a series to an associate nation. After being whitewashed by Pakistan, there were loud calls from fans turning their backs on the team.
But looking at Sunday’s packed stadium, would anyone believe that now? Bangladesh’s most recent success came in a historic T20 series win over Sri Lanka. Even so, fans spent their hard-earned money to come and watch. Has the resentment toward the national team started to thaw? Otherwise, why would fans still show up after all that disappointment?
Moin Hasan, a student from Jagannath University who came to watch the game, said, “It’s out of love for cricket that I came to watch Bangladesh play. Sure, this hasn’t been a great time for our cricket. It’s true that some fans have started to turn away from it. But for me—for us—cricket will always be a source of joy.”
Ashnan Navid, who grew up in Mirpur, still rushes to the Home of Cricket whenever he can: “I grew up in Mirpur, so I have a personal connection with Sher-e-Bangla Stadium. I first came here in 2007 to watch a Test match. Today, I’m here for a T20. Altogether, I’ve seen over 50 matches in this ground.”
Much of the recent disinterest in cricket stemmed from the reduced number of matches being played in Mirpur. However, the reason behind this was the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s plan to spread cricket fever across other venues. While it’s a time-consuming process, the new BCB president, Aminul Islam Bulbul, has taken up decentralization as a key priority. If successfully implemented, the same cricket craze seen in Mirpur could spread across the country.
In the past few years, most home series games for Bangladesh were not held in Mirpur. And most of those were Test matches. Who would give up 8–9 hours of their day to watch a Test in person? After all, Bangladesh’s cricket culture isn’t as established as England’s. So, it’s a reality we must accept. However, when it comes to white-ball matches—whether in Sylhet, Chattogram, or Mirpur—fans do show up in droves.
On this “Super Sunday,” Dhaka-based cricket supporters once again proved that for the past two decades, they have stood by this team, cheering from the galleries. Even if resentment had built up over time, with this team that’s been a part of their emotional highs and lows, that ice has started to melt…
Just a little glimpse, a few beautiful moments—those can melt even the darkest clouds in a relationship. In the same way, Emon’s victory and the jam-packed gallery shattered the silence of fans’ long-held grudges with cricket…
Moin Hasan:
“Also, Bangladesh played well in the most recent T20 series against Sri Lanka and won the series. It had already been almost 9 months since the last match in Mirpur, so naturally I was eager to watch. Plus, it’s not every day you get to see Bangladesh play Pakistan at home. I hope Bangladesh does well in this series.”
Ashnan Navid
After 13 long months, international cricket returned to the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. Since the South Africa Test in October 2024, there hadn’t been another international game in this venue. That dry spell ended with a three-match T20 series against Pakistan.
And of course, it’s good—because someone or the other has to step up and play. Especially in T20s, when one set innings is played, it becomes easier for the rest of the team.
