Outside, the screaming buzz of a hundred rough and ready trumpets held testament to the thousands who had queued up outside the stadium. Inside the Bangabandhu National Stadium, however, an explosive festival of color, music, dance and unceasing noise signaled the start of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 which will be jointly held in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India. Amidst flashing strobe lights, fluttery LED kites and a thousand irresistible cheers both in and out of the stadium, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 officially open, thereby checking another box in a long list of achievements for a young nation.
“On behalf of the people of Bangladesh, I welcome the World Cup to Bangladesh,” said the Prime Minister. “Many thanks to the ICC [International Cricket Council] and the BCB [Bangladesh Cricket Board] for working so hard to make this possible. Cricket lovers and fellow citizens, thank you all for your help, cooperation and understanding,” she said before ceremonially putting her palm to a scanner to declare the World Cup open.
The truth of the World Cup in Bangladesh had been seemingly missing for many over the course of the past few months, what with a variety of teething issues. But if ever there was a rising crescendo that led to an emphatic release, it was yesterday at the Bangabandhu National Stadium (BNS) which played host to the brightest opening ceremony in a World Cup of cricket in living memory. At the risk of hyperbole, it should be made clear that this was no Beijing 2008 or Guangzhou 2010. But at the end of a thoroughly entertaining night of song and dance, Bangladesh can hold their heads high at managing to put on a show right out of the top drawer. This is truly an event we can be proud of in years to come.
For once, things ran almost to schedule and by the time the young artistes Mila, Kona, Elita, Balam, Hridoy Khan, Arnob and Ibrar Tipu got to stage for the welcome song, the stadium was already packed to the rafters with a boisterous crowd who had been lining up for hours.
There was no sign of relent however and the energy emanating from the 25,000 plus who had managed to bag a ticket, only grew exponentially when all fourteen captains of the participating nations entered the stadium in specially decorated rickshaws. Ricky Ponting, of Australia was the first in line, and his ear-to-ear grin and enthusiastic waving to the crowd was a ringing endorsement of the novelty and success of the skit. The entrance of Shahid Afridi and MS Dhoni sent the crowd into delirium, and if at all possible, the decibels rose even further when Shakib Al Hasan became the final captain to emerge on his own decorated rickshaw for a circumnavigation of the stage.
For many, this might have been the highlight of the night, but the organisers had other tricks up their sleeve. The Bangladesh Development Bank, previously Shilpa Bank Bhaban, building, on the eastern side of the BNS was made into a giant screen of its own, with projections and a live act combining to put together the first-ever 'aerial cricket match'. The one over feat of daredevil and clever lighting was breathtaking in its scope and by the reactions it elicited it was fair to say that the crowd had never seen anything of the like before.
And yet, there was more. With headline act Bryan Adams waiting in the wings, all three host nations put on skits showcasing their own culture, heritage and history. India's number which began with an archer shooting an arrow of fire into the sky and Sri Lanka's which depicted a boat sailing through the seas were both excellent, but the biggest cheer was predictably saved for Bangladesh whose segment was preceded by legendary singers Sabina Yasmin, Mumtaz and Runa Laila. And it was Mumtaz who showcased her massive popularity by having the thousands at the stadium dancing to renditions of her most popular numbers. Otherwise, the Bangladesh skit was quite comprehensive, taking into account the Language Movement of 1952 and the Independence War of 1971. The highlight of that segment however, was the projection of Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's famous March 7 speech on the giant screen of the Bangladesh Development Bank Bhaban.
It elicited a giant outpouring of nationalistic feeling among the crowd, which had been threatening to burst out ever since the national anthem had been played out at the start of the show amidst glorious green and red lighting and collective goosebumps.
After that, it was over to the able hands of Canadian singer Bryan Adams. The pop legend regaled with his timeless “Summer of 69'', “18 till I die” and aptly “Let's make a night to remember” and had the crowd rejoicing at the celebrated numbers. The show ended on a high with the Indian trio of Shankar, Ehsaan & Loy ringing out the theme song of the World Cup 'De Ghumaa Ke' in all three languages of the host countries: Bangla, Hindi and Sinhalese.
It was an event of a magnitude not seen in the short history of Bangladesh and so in the words of the song; it was a “night to remember”.
