Bangladesh Daily Star Editorial: Encore! (3 November 1998)
Bangladesh Daily Star Editorial: Encore
03-Nov-1998
3 November 1998
Bangladesh Daily Star Editorial: Encore!
The Daily Star
The climax to the Wills International Cup tournament may not have
been the most exciting in the world, but the sound of the drum beat
and cheering from Dhaka's Bangabandhu National Stadium is likely to
reverberate around the cricketing world for years to come. The sense
of gloom that was threatening to descend on the city due to the home
team's non-participation, was swept away by the carnival that the
tournament finally turned out to be. Who said Bangladesh was not
"playing"? Bangladesh was the "player of the tournament", in the form
of the drum-beating, bugle-blowing, flag-waving multitude in the
galleries, in the streets and at home. Where else in the world would
visiting teams - all nine of them - play in packed stadiums and
enjoy such vociferous support?
No wonder, the players' appreciation of the crowds knew no bounds.
And our admiration for the players of South Africa, West Indies,
India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, New Zealand, England and Zimbabwe know
few limits.
During Sunday's grand finale, as South Africa powered to their
biggest tournament win since returning to the international cricket
fold in 1990, it became clear that success of the Wills Cup has put
Bangladesh firmly on the map. Officials of the International Cricket
Council could not have praised the Bangladesh cricket authorities
more for the excellent job done. The international media could not
have done a bigger favour, with television beaming images across the
world which showed a country steeped in culture, endowed with
extraordinary natural beauty, populated by a fun-loving people and
full of potential for progress.
Now that the curtains have finally come down on the greatest sporting
theatre ever staged in Dhaka, the time has come to ponder over the
possibilities of encores. The effort that everybody has put in for
the success of the Wills Cup should not be seen as an isolated event,
nor a on-off endeavour. It is events like these that provide
opportunities for positive international exposure. The enthusiasm and
sporting behaviour of the crowds at the stadium have done more to
improve the image of the country abroad than a thousand diplomatic
speeches could ever have done. Now it is upto the government to
capitalise on the success of the Wills Cup and make Dhaka a regular
venue for international cricket events which would also generate
foreign exchange and help to improve domestic cricket.
Source :: The Bangladesh Daily Star (https://www.dailystarnews.com)