Bangladesh: The World Champions!

Bangladesh U19 team celebrating the moment
with the World Cup trophy.
Photo: ICC

Copyright: Mohammad Isam
Bangladesh correspondent, ESPNcricinfo

For a moment, a nation stopped breathing. People got out of their cars, while sitting in endless traffic jams, to celebrate with each other. Some went in search of a nearby TV, whether it was at an electronics store or a clubhouse tent, to celebrate with more strangers. There were chants of "Bangladesh, Bangladesh" across cities, towns and villages, with reports of victory processions in several places.

A Facebook video showed one man wearing a Bangladesh jersey, feeding pedestrians and rickshaw-pullers from a box of sweets. There was one photo of a group of people crowding around a phone, trying to catch the game, at a wedding. Millions congratulated the youngsters and the country on social media, while newspaper headlines on Monday morning screamed of the achievement - Bangladesh's first major global sporting trophy. One headline even made reference to "Akbar the Great".

Still, all this qualifies as muted celebrations by Bangladeshi standards. More fun had probably been had after Bangladesh won the 1997 ICC Trophy, and after some of their major ODI wins of the last 20 years. Massive celebrations of those victories at the Dhaka University campus and Old Dhaka had often included rong khela (playing with coloured powders, much like during the festival of Holi) and fireworks. But the reaction to Bangladesh's three-wicket win over India in Potchefstroom wasn't massive mainly because the cricket-watching public was cautious - they have experienced too many heartbreaks in finals to keep pots of water colours or fireworks handy.

It was also an Under-19 World Cup final, as opposed to a senior tournament, so for many casual fans, it must have become an occasion only after Bangladesh had bowled out India cheaply. As the evening went on, with many disillusioned by the senior men's performance in the Rawalpindi Test, switching TV channels was the way to go. Akbar Ali's men provided enough drama when they faltered in the chase, and needed their captain to bail them out. By the time Rakibul Hasan hit the winning runs, the wild celebrations had begun.