Bangladesh cricket has many highs and lows but most would agree that its strongest point is the euphoria of the spectators.
In recent years, the national side has got some success especially in home One-Day Internationals (ODI) but even when the side was getting regularly pummeled at home and were perennial loser in the international arena, the exuberance of the crowd always gained plaudits.
It is true, Test cricket is not very popular in the country. But ODIs, the forte of Bangladesh, has always attracted the mass and during the vital series the stadium gets jam-packed with thousands waiting in queue.
As a result it was expected the three-match series against England would see a customary full crowd. But on Wednesday during the first match, scenes were different and rather shocking at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
“Today (Wednesday) we are seeing a low crowd turnout, we do not see this sort of low crowd during international series especially against a big team like England,” said one of the guards in the gate no.1 of SBNS after the match had started.
Even during the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), which ended last month, SBNS saw large crowds in some matches with flags of the franchises amid festive atmosphere.
But on Wednesday no such scene was visible as queues in front of the gates were absent and the road, which normally gets sealed for vehicles during international games, looked almost deserted.
One of the veteran journalists in the press box commented he has never seen such low turnout as the stadium used to be packed with fans even when Bangladesh used to lose regularly in international matches.
When asked whether the hot weather, an early start or the match happening on a weekday had any effect, he said these things are normal and people always come to ground despite these inconveniences.
Interestingly, the Eastern Gallery, where the ticket price is lowest, had the least number of spectators and the lower tier looked harrowingly empty.
One may wonder whether the current economic uncertainty and price hike of regular commodities had a major impact on the spectators who normally come in numbers to cheer Bangladesh and find their own solace.
The low enthusiasm was visible throughout the stadium and elsewhere. Air conditioners in the press box malfunctioned forcing the journalists to work amid hot and uncomfortable condition. There was even food shortage in the press box during lunch which regular journalists said was an unforeseen situation.
When asked about the crowd situation, a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official said 12 thousand tickets were given at booths for general spectators but he does not know how many were sold.
The lack of enthusiasm around was starkly visible. One may wonder whether too many matches at Mirpur has made people disinterested. Perhaps it is time to lessen the pressure on Mirpur and decentralise the international matches.
Or it may be the economic uncertainty that is making people too anxious to enjoy cricket matches.
Whatever is the case, the blank spaces in the SBNS gallery creates a hollow that is definitely not a good sign for country’s cricket.