ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007
A sweet problem
Sports Reporter
What has al-ready happened in West Indies is something new for the Tigers. Ma-king a second round entry in the World Cup is a milestone for Bangladesh cricket team and thus Habibul Bashar's men invited a sweet problem in their mind-boggling trip.Spending time abroad is nothing new for the Tigers in a busy international schedule, but staying at least two months in far-flung Caribbean would be something unusual for them. Usually Bangladesh finished their foreign trip within or little over a month but their Super Eights berth confirmed that the trip has been extended to April 19, the day they play their last match against hosts West Indies in Barbados. Bangladesh cricket team, which left the capital on February 19, first landed in the Caribbean for the World Cup as they played a tri-nation series involving Bermuda and Canada and two official build-up games against New Zealand and Scotland before entering the showpiece event. It is not a question whether they were prepared for a long journey rather the point is that the homesickness would be an issue during their demanding clashes in the second round. What could be a solution for this problem? The answer is simple: the presence of their beloved family members. Better if the question were posed to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). Have they made any plans about the second-leg to ease the homesickness of the players? It seemed that the authority were also unsure about their team's qualification although the boys had told time and again before their departure. "Honestly speaking, the second round berth came as surprise for us. That's why we haven't made any plans about that. Undoubtedly the homesickness became an issue because the boys are not usually used such long trip. But the team management are trying their best to make it easy," said Mahmudur Rahman, CEO of BCB. "We have no plans to send the family members but we will help if anybody want to go there," he added. Bangladesh skipper Habibul Bashar's wife Shaon, however, assured everybody that it would not hamper the performance of the team in the second round. "Yes, homesickness is an issue as Sumon (Bashar) almost everyday tells me over the phone that he is missing our son. Actually they are not used to missing their family over a long time. But they are very focused on their job and dreaming even big in the second round," she informed. "Sumon told me that I should go there if they reach the semifinal," Shaon said with a smile.
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