One way traffice : All roads in Mirpur lead to Sher-e-Bangla

Dhaka, May 10 (UNI) Its festive time in Mirpur as the cricket caravan comes to town.

The excitement is palpable as thousands lined up the road to see the opening tie of the India-Bangladesh ODI series braving a steady downpour that threatened to delay the match indefinitely.

The Sher-e-Bangla stadium is located in Mirpur, home to 15 lakh people and which has been inducted into the jurisdiction of Dhaka Metropolitan Authority off late.

And they are hosting only their third international tie. So the excitement and interest is understandable. A 50 foot bat stood by the main entrance for the people to wish good luck to the home team.

There was no dearth of enthusiasm among the youngsters who signed by the dozen.

The green flag with a red sun fluttered about and face masks (stickers) and national team jerseys sold like hot cakes.

However, the rain played spoilt sport, delaying the match as the people waited patiently for their stars to begin the innings.

Mirpur is famous for their wooden craft and benarasi sarees.

They have a craft bazaar and a 'saree palli' (saree village) where the weavers ply their trade. Now it's the new home of Bangladesh cricket and the reasons are evident as every nook and corner of the small town is gripped by the cricket fever with the rickshaw pullers even deciding to take a break to see the match.

The stadium itself is a beauty and is filled to the brim with thousands still waiting outside to get into the stadium.

For now at least, all roads in Mirpur lead to Sher-e-Bangla Jatiya Stadium.

UNI