Dogs seized the limelight yesterday. Five dogs became stars, at least for sometime, at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.
But they were not the average dogs that roam the city streets. They belong to the privileged club, members of which are 'sniffer' dogs.
Under army escort, those 'sniffer' dogs went out on patrol duty both inside and outside the stadium. Although the dogs did not detect any explosives, they could arrest the attention of a good number of photographers and onlookers.
The 'sniffer' dogs, however, appeared rather embarrassed in the face of flashlights and clicking cameras.
Hasina alert
Security men were on red alert yesterday as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived to see the second semi-final between West Indies and India. Hundreds of members of law-enforcing agencies made their presence felt in the stadium arena to ensure the maximum security of the premier, who was sitting at the VVIP Box with Bangladesh Cricket Board president by her side.
Hasina, however, left the stadium after the India innings, much to the relief of the spectators at the VIP stand and Hospitality Boxes. The security personnel imposed restrictions on the movement and transit of the spectators, making them virtually sit stationary for nearly two hours.
Lara ... Lara ... Lara
After yesterday's match Brian Lara would certainly love the Dhaka crowd. Albeit the majority of the spectators were behind India, a section of appreciative fans chose to jive with the Calypso beat. With beating trumpets, blowing whistles and chanting the name of the West Indies captain, a strong band of spectators cherished each and every stroke played by Lara throughout his unbeaten knock of 60.
Earlier, on October 29, after their quarter-final match against Pakistan, Lara felt that the crowd was wishing a victory against them. But, yesterday, it was a different experience of the Trinidadian.
Face-to-face
The two best batsmen of the world were face to face yesterday. Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar took on each other head-on while the West Indies innings was in progress. But Lara was with the willow and Tendulkar was out with the cherry. The Caribbean captain, facing Tendulkar in the 19th over, paid his tribute to the Indian star without scoring any run in that over.
The return of Philo
Opener Philo Wallace pulled the very first ball of the West Indies innings straight over the long-off boundary. Javagal Srinath simply couldn't believe it. But it was nothing new for the big fellow Philo.
The Barbados batsman made his debut in international cricket against Pakistan in 1991. The very first ball he faced in international cricket, and that too from the great Imran Khan, was disposed off in similar fashion over the ropes. But it was not sufficient to sustain a place for him in the Caribbean side. It took him another seven years to return to the side. And what a return!
Dazzling debut
Reon King made a fiery debut in one-day cricket yesterday. The 21-year-old Guyanese was fast and accurate. He gave away only 26 runs in his share of ten overs. The speedster was seaming and swinging a lot, much to the discomfort of the Indians. He was recorded 138km/h on the speedometer, 2km/h faster than his new-ball partner Mervyn Dillon. However, his first one-day wicket remained elusive.