According to my facebook feeds, the biggest issue facing the nation during the Christmas holiday was Bangladesh cricket team’s cancelled tour of Pakistan. Over the fold is a discussion we had over gorom cha and kolija shingara. Enjoy.
Category Archives: Sports
“Tigers Won’t Go”
“Bangladesh Cricket Team Won’t Go To Pakistan”/Image: SAM
A poem by Aktar Ahmed, about the fan campaign to cancel Bangladesh Cricket team’s trip to Pakistan. Translated from Bangla, posted for discussion. I do not support use of racialized slurs such as “Paki,” which was rhymed with “Baki” in this poem.
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Cricket and the Ugly Indian
Excuse me a minute while I brace myself for the pro/anti-India epithets that might make their way to the comments. Because I am about to set aside the premature jubilations that afflicted the Tigers tonight and the hope that comes with fresh talents like Sohag Gazi and Anamul Haque.
Better than Brando
Instead, I will write about England’s tour of India. But only to point out an increasingly disturbing trend in the way Indians are coming across to the rest of the world. Captain India MS Dhoni shall serve as our representative Indian. And with England one wicket away from victory this evening , now is the time.
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Egg Sandwiches and Pybus
Budding teenage cricket fans may not remember this. In 1997, Bangladesh, then not yet a test team, trounced Kenya to win the ICC Trophy and qualify for the 1999 World Cup. At the risk of sounding really old, in those days we did not have Star Cricket covering every club match on earth, so we listened to this on the radio. The joy of that winning run against Kenya was surpassed only by the victory against Pakistan two years later.
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The Pakistan Tour Debate
Shoe protest at Press Club against sending Bangladesh team to Pakistan.
Update 3: We have decided to remove a potentially offensive image posted from facebook. That criticism of all things Pakistani inevitably takes on racist undertones is something that might be the subject of a future post.
What cricket actually means
I have always been wary of the dark side, and excesses, of nationalism. But today, just for this one day, I want to forego analysis, caution, hesitation and caveat and, just for a moment, cheer Bangladesh on in the finals of Asia Cup 2012.
