Dubai diary: Bangladesh fans believe in wearing hearts on sleeves

Bangladesh cricket fans are known to be an extremely passionate lot, sometimes to the point of being jingoistic. The media entourage which follows the team to different parts of the world — irrespective of the size of the publication — is no exception and often known to get carried away.

Mohammed Ashraf Hossain, a young chief reporter of a daily called Pathe Prantore is a case in point, showing up at the media centre at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday. Switching to a Bangla Tigers shirt just before the match began, a smiling Ashraf said he was hoping for an ‘even contest’ in the first match of the ICC Champions Trophy here.

‘’We know that India is a much stronger side on paper, but we are confident of the team putting up a good show in this tournament,’’ an upbeat Ashraf said. Nazmul Hussain Shanto’s men started off on a disastrous note, but a resilient 154-run stand for the seventh wicket between centurion Tawfiq Hridoy and Jaker Ali lifted the gloom among the Bangladesh fans and kept them in the fight.

While a healthy but respectful rivalry between the two neighbours is the ideal scenario, the arrival of social media has often seen fans from across the border cross many a line ahead of a match in ICC tournaments. ‘’Yes, I agree, but I think the tendency has come down a bit,’’ the Bangladesh scribe said.

Another redeeming feature, according to him, is that the recent political upheaval in Bangladesh and the rise of anti-India sentiments has not filtered on to the cricket pitch so far.

Imam for Fakhar

Meanwhile, the events technical committee of the tournament has approved batter Imam-ul-Haq as a replacement for Fakhar Zaman in the Pakistan squad.

The 29-year-old Imam, who has played 72 ODIs, was named as a replacement after Fakhar was ruled out with an oblique injury. The absence of 34-year-old Fakhar, who was player of the final during Pakistan’s 2017 trophy win against India, could prove decisive as Pakistan plays India in a must-win game after a humiliating 60-run defeat to New Zealand in the tournament opener.

The replacement of a player requires the approval of the technical committee before the player can be officially added to the squad.

The event technical committee of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 consists of Wasim Khan (ICC general manager – Cricket), Sarah Edgar (ICC senior manager – Events), Usman Wahla (PCB director – international cricket operations), and Shaun Pollock (independent representative).