Cricket unplugged

For all the magnificence of music, unplugged versions never ever go out of fashion. Perhaps it has something to do with the strings of the Sitar or Guitar, strumming tunes that pluck at the heart strings and leave us with a pleasant glow. That special moment when the finger tips move from one position to another, and add an almost hushed swish provide the vital part of music-passion.
It is this, the passion that can be the only real answer why people in Bangladesh support the likes of Brazil and Argentina in football. The Latinos bring a refreshing flair and talent that writes a musical score to touch those same heart strings.
It was this and so much more that had Bangladeshis' rooting for the West Indies in the final of the Twenty/20 World Cup. Caribbean cricket at its best is entertaining, fun, calypso and colourful. And those who mourned the loss of brilliance of the past will have sipped their teas contentedly in the knowledge that those lovely people, in a matter of weeks won the World U-19, Men's T/20 and Women's T/20 crowns.
As a cricket enthusiast who never had much time for the shortest version of the game, this scribe finds substance in what West Indies cricketer Dwayne Bravo said when he declared his nationalism was purer given that the Indian Premier League (IPL) ensured healthy bank balances. Event crazy India loves the format (though for many years was so firmly opposed to it) and after the initial years of uniqueness, they still flock to the grounds though the international appetite has dimmed somewhat.
Thankfully for the players businesses also find it good enough to invest in, resulting in money for the players. Mustafizur Rahman may be in his teens but overnight he has become wealthy-good for him. Shakib Al Hasan is not just wealthy but also an icon in world cricket. Each year, the money spent on buying the cricketers grows and we see a similar trend even in the Bangladesh version of the game.
It is mind-boggling numbers that even encourage nearly-at-the-top or just-over-the -edge cricketers to quit the international game. There's no longer the lunch break and though tea is much an English tradition as the game of cricket the island nation has some one  of the T/20 titles but never the 50/over version of the game. So that Sunday's afternoon cuppa may have tasted a little more tepid than usual.
Cricket has progressed from the slow summer game it was. The shorter version has added pace and ferocity but the shortest version that really draws the crowds is in many ways a high-wattage comedy of errors, played in pyjamas with its fair share of irony and tragedy scripted together. The measure of this is best exemplified by the fact that it's called the T/20 World Cup and the word 'cricket' going out of fashion.
Save for the sublime skills of Virat Kohli and Joe Root, the version is a pale shadow of what cricket really is; a supreme battle of minds leading to the duel between bat and ball. The smooth, silky literature that used to be so much a part of cricket has been shelved as former cricketers take their places behind the microphones to describe proceedings and in ridiculously boring repetitiveness and on many occasions outrageously offensively.
Darren Sammy chose the final to answer former cricketer turned commentator Mark Nicholas' daft comment that the West Indies 'had no brains'. Their performance was the best answer but as Sammy said 'animals (have) got brains'. It is, therefore a pity that someone like Harsha Bhogle will not be commentating in this, the ninth version of the IPL, agonisingly enough for being neutral. Cricket, no matter the format is not a game that can be won without brains and luck. Individual practitioners suffer from brain-coma just as anyone else. Everyone makes mistakes.
The final had everything. The cool professionalism of the English, a few classy cricket performances and a breathtaking exhibition of power-hitting. That fact that the Windies won had as much to do with their determination as it did with their never-say-die attitude and a superb self-belief. Their cricket has gone through turbulent waters from failing to attract new talent, through player-pay issues to board bankruptcy and crass mismanagement.
The win will breathe a new lease of life through the sunny islands but a further moot point has also been made. The Big 3 concept of running the game has taken a bashing for the better. At least in this form none of them won, two made it to the last four and one -well they took the early flight home. No wonder English supporters were in short supply in Dhaka that delightful Sunday evening.
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