Running Between the Cricket

1. Somebody in the ICC has got it seriously right by giving Bangladesh such a large piece of the World Cup pie this time. It can be confidently said that this is the most passionate cricket country on earth today. And the most touching thing is, this is not fired by jingoism. The common man doesn't really expect Bangladesh to win, at least not the World Cup. They'd be happy if their team could beat one or two of the main sides, and maybe even just reach the quarters. That just seems to have greater value than passion fuelled by an extreme awareness to result.

2. Somehow, these two days in Bangladesh reminded me of growing up in India in the 1980s. There is that same sense of tentative confidence, an innocence that is so fragile, it could be gone before they know it. Just hope Bangladesh don't go down the roads India has over the last decade or two - where greed and power have gradually become the most important leitmotifs to represent the new "confident" face of India. Sadly, those are perhaps inevitable paths down which progress navigates through in the modern world.

3. Sitting in the press box with seasoned journalists makes me appreciate their job much more. It's not easy coping with the vagaries of every specific place, shrugging off the malfunctions, thinking on your feet and scrambling to meet deadlines, regardless of the state of your mind or digestive system. I know I couldn’t do it on a sustained basis.