Shades of Wembley Way

In the days before Wembley was written off as a shambolic old wreck, the approach to the stadium was arguably as famous as the stadium itself. Wembley Way, a concrete causeway that travelled the 500-or-so yards from the train station to those famous Twin Towers, was nothing much to look at, but it reeked of symbolism - especially on a Cup Final day, when thousands of fans would swarm along the path.

The approach to Chittagong's MA Aziz Stadium is subtlety different. Symbolism pays only a fleeting visit, while the road itself doesn't exactly form a beeline from train to terraces - there is rather a busy stretch of road and a noisy bus station to negotiate first. But, assuming one avoids being harangued onto an express coach to Comilla, the reward is a gently undulating and pleasantly leafy stroll. It is the perfect way to prepare for a day at the cricket.

The tranquility of the avenue is ensured by a low iron goalpost positioned across the entrance; designed to deter buses and lorries, and to decapitate unruly rickshaw display teams. Steep steps lead into the hills on either side of the route, where children laugh and play and make sandcastles in the dust, and down which old women traipse with vast bundles of washing on their heads.

It is almost Mediterranean in places. The heat shimmers off the tarmac, but shade is provided by huge, oak-like trees, with sprawling roots and spreading branches. Beneath them, off-duty rickshaw-wallahs doze in the backs of their cabs, alongside ruminating cows and the occasional underemployed trader.

The stadium, over the prow of the hill and a sharp jink to the right, remains hidden by the trees until the very last minute. It too has a rural feel. The pavilion side of the ground has avoided unnecessary building work, and makes up in security what it lacks in construction. A host of blue shirts and black berets guard the players' entrance, while the ticketing duties are left in the capable hands of Bangladesh's Cadet Corps, resplendent in their red and green plumage.

A dual carriageway runs along the front of the ground. It is the only point at which the daily hustle and bustle of Chittagong comes into direct contact with the stadium, and appropriately enough, the cavities beneath the stands have all been used to their full potential. Most of them house a range of sports shops and several kebab houses. But amid this melee, squeezed into a tiny blink-and-you-miss-it nook, is the iron-clad entrance to the media centre, complete with disconcerting drip - that falls right down the neck of the incomer.

This brief flirtation with commerce soon gives way, however. Round the next corner, the scenery changes to a large expanse of field, still green and boggy in places from the recent rains, but dry and dusty elsewhere. In the distance the ground is covered with recently laundered clothing, while a carpet of chicken feathers speckle the grass nearer the roadside. These line the route to the southern stand, beneath which cattle are housed by night and eager fans jostle for entry by day.

All-in-all it is a homely ground, although its days as a cricket venue are numbered. Half-an-hour to the West of the city, in the district of Pahartali, a brand new stadium is already under construction. It is due to be completed in time for the U19 World Cup in February and March next year, and unlike this venue, which shares its facilities with football teams, it has been designed solely for cricket.

Judging by Bangladesh's efforts on the second morning at the MA Aziz stadium, they might even be expected to mark its inauguration with a victory.