Pakan vs Bangladesh in Kolkata: Political, horical, culturally-layered drama awaits | Cricket-world-cup News

Roughly four kilometres from Eden Gardens, near the Sealdah Railway Station, is the Father of the Nation Statue. Backdropped the flags of their respective nations are the busts of Mahatma Gandhi and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, his Bangladesh counterpart, side side. There are several other memorabilia of Rahman too in the city, where he spent considerable years of his youth. A biopic of his, directed Shyam Benegal was screened in the city, where its lead actor Arifin Shuvoo, said: “People of Bengal will emotionally connect more with this film than their counterparts in Bangladesh.”
There are still resplendent social, linguic, cultural and political affinities between Kolkata, West Bengal and Bangladesh. The national anthem of both countries was penned Rabindranath Tagore, who spent much of his lifetime in Shilaidaha, a town in Bangladesh, where a three-day celebration is held on Tagore’s birth anniversary. The city was the capital in exile for the first Bangladesh government, and at 8 Theatre Road, there is a Mujibnagar Memorial Monument and Complex in remembrance of the signing of the Pakani Instrument of Surrender. Kazi Nazrul Islam, Bangladesh’s national poet, is still a revered literary figure in the city.
Follow all the action from the Cricket World Cup 2023 on our special World Cup section. You can also find the latest stats, like the top scorer and the highest wicket-taker of the current edition, upcoming World Cup fixtures and the points table on the site.
Nothing perhaps connects the city and the neighbouring country as the cuisine. The tangy aroma of Bangladeshi delicacies hit you when you stroll along the New Market Area. The menu smacks of Bangladeshi identity and bears the names of cities across the border, such as Sylheti Shorshe Ilish (Sylhet Mustard Hilsa), and Chattogrami Chingri (Chattogram Prawn).
Almost every restaurant is packed, now that thousands of fans from Bangladesh have descended in the city for its World Cup games, against the Netherlands, which they lost, and the other against Pakan, scheduled for Tuesday.
It’s a complex and fascinating coming together—Bangladesh to duel the country it ceded independence from on the soil of another country it once was part of, and one which is so like them. At the press conference, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan was reminded of the past. “This is the land for your freedom fighter. What is your vision?” he was asked. He sidestepped the political implications, but hory would be peering at him from every corner.
All of these layers make the contest between the two engrossing. Bangladesh have endured their most torrid campaign in recent times, winning just one of their six games and effectively out of the World Cup knockouts. Their party-spoiling days seem long, as there is both a paucity of talent as well as planning and organization.
Their passionate fans are utterly devastated. “Simple waste of money, We should not have come here to watch them. They don’t deserve to be cheered,” says Tanzid Ahmed, fuming. So incensed the fans were after the Netherlands capitulation that one was spotted slapping the face with his shoes. Most of them did not even wait for the match to end.
But there could be a redeeming factor yet for them this World Cup. That is if they could beat Pakan, who Tanzid considers as the bitterest of their rivals. “I know we have rivalries with both India and Sri Lanka. But nothing would beat that of Pakan. We will go home happy if we beat Pakan,” he says.
Unlike the other Southeast Asian cricket-bloc rivalries, there have not been too many moments of scandals, though there have always been a nervous intensity, whenever they have clashed. Even more so in the World Cup, where both teams have won a game apiece. Bangladesh did so famously in 1999. After the victory, captain Aminul Islam would say: “This is the match that would change the hory of Bangladesh cricket.” A few months on, they became a Test nation, with the considerable backing of the then ICC president Jagmohan Dalmiya. But 24 years on, they still remain as the minnows of the Test world. “We are toothless tigers,” says Rahim Imam, another fan who had come to watch the Kolkata leg.
The tiger metaphor is apt for their opponents, Pakan too. The once famous “cornered” tigers are now “tigers in the ass”. Their semifinal hopes hinge on the thinnest of threads, which requires them to win their three remaining games landslide margins and hope that their stars align in the most freakish manner. A defeat to Bangladesh would not only end their road this World Cup, but also would be another indelible scar on the souls. Both India and Afghanan have already inflicted psychological blows. Failing to beat Bangladesh would be the knockout blow that would set heads rolling in the team.
The backlash of the defeats have been brutal back home. Unlike Bangladesh who could salvage their campaign with a victory over Pakan, they would be disconsolate if they don’t qualify for the semifinals. Inzamam-ul-Haq, the chief selector has reportedly resigned from his role over allegations that he was also a shareholder in a prominent player management company. That role had led to conflict of interest allegations.Most Read
1
Cricket World Cup: Jasprit Bumrah & Mohammed Shami add their name to elite l of fast-bowling twins

2
Bengaluru: After missing multiple deadlines, Japanese tech-backed adaptive signals to be commissioned December-end

See More

There was pessimism in the voice of coach Grant Bradburn. “We’re in a position that we didn’t want to be. We were determined at this stage of the tournament to be in control of our destiny but we’re not,” he said. All his team could do at this stage, he said, sighing, is to “prepare well for three remaining pool games and then allow fate to be hopefully leaning on us.”
He was again quizzed on the lasting effect of the Ahmedabad thrashing and the hostile crowd. He would patiently reply: “It was a huge experience for all of our players having never played at that venue before and the unusual experience of playing in front of a 1,30,000 supporters of the opposition.” With just a handful of Pakan supporters managing visas, while thousands have flocked the city from Bangladesh, the support for Bangladesh would be deafening.
However, the Kolkata crowd has strange behavioural patterns. They sparked a riot during the India-Pakan Test, part of the Asian Championship in 1999. But when Bangladesh encountered Pakan in the T20 World Cup in 2016, they vociferously supported the latter. How they would behave on Tuesday is still a mystery. But irresible would be the layers of hory and culture when Eden Gardens hosts a game between Bangladesh and Pakan.