Another Naagin Derby, Bangladesh’s Sri Lankan Hero, and the Bengali murghi

By K.R. Nayar
From Dubai International Stadium

The rivalry between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh is called ‘Naagin Derby’ ever since the tension-filled clash between star players Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan and Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews (who was timed out by Bangladesh in the 2023 World Cup in New Delhi). Some also address the rivalry as the Timed-out Derby. Bangladesh fans perform the Naagin (snake) dance, which was first performed by Bangladesh Premier League bowler Nazmul Islam Apu in 2016 as a mark of his celebration on taking a wicket.

Player of the Match Saif Hassan hits a fluent boundary: Photo: ACC

Saif Hassan is half Sri Lankan

 Saif Hassan, Player of the Match in Bangladesh’s exciting one-ball-to-spare, four-wicket win over Sri Lanka, is half Sri Lankan. His mother’s roots are from Sri Lanka. He was able to read Sri Lanka’s bowling well and cracked a breezy 61. He is a voracious reader and always packs novels for tours. Teammates call him a bookworm and tease him, saying he prefers to spend time reading novels rather than being at the nets. Though he is often nagged for his preference of reading over practicing at the nets, his well-timed four sixes in his 45-ball knock did not reveal that. Its a mystery why this talented batter was not picked for over a year and a half after he had captained Bangladesh in the Asian Games in Hangzhou.

 

Bangladesh fans miss Tamim Iqbal. Photo by K.R. Nayar 

Traffic jam and Tamim Iqbal

 The stadium wasn’t packed, but a huge traffic jam held up fans for over an hour, forcing many to take a long walk to the stadium. Almost every fan wore their country’s jersey. The traffic was so stationary that a few Bangladesh fans got out of their cars and posed for a photo displaying their poster about missing their star opener Tamim Iqbal, who was the first to score a century in the T20 World Cup in 2016. After retiring in 2025, Iqbal is all set to contest for the top post in the Bangladesh Cricket Board next month.

 Cool Shanaka is UAE media’s friend

 Dasun Shanaka was the captain of the Sri Lanka team when his side emerged champions in the 2022 Asia Cup held in Dubai. On Saturday, he top-scored with a brilliant unbeaten 64 against Bangladesh. Known for his ability to hit sixes, he struck more sixes (6) than boundaries (3) during his 37-ball knock. 

Dasun Shanaka when he lifted the 2022 Asia Cup pose for a selfie with the local journalist. Photo by K.R. Nayar 

Though he is an aggressive batter, he is a very calm person and mixes freely with fans. Once, he hit six sixes in an over in a domestic match and did not even fist pump or show any emotion over such an achievement. That calm attitude from him got a reporter to write that he had celebrated his feat just like he had paid a phone bill. After the 2022 Asia Cup win, he posed with the local media here for selfies, carrying the heavy Asia Cup.

Bangladesh and Sri Lanka fans line up to enter the stadium in the sweltering heat. Photo by K.R. Nayar 

Jaker or Joker Ali?

 Bangladesh were lucky not to lost the match to Sri Lanka despite an irresponsible act by their batter Jaker Ali. The scores were level after Ali had hit a boundary, with only one run needed for Bangladesh to win. Ali went for a wild swing and got bowled by Shanaka, leading to tense moments, and Sri Lanka winning only off the fifth ball of that over. A scribe watching Ali’s act suggested his name should be changed to Joker Ali. Renowned radio commentator Ahmed Khwaja remarked that Bangladesh seemed to have wanted a finish similar to a Bollywood or a Tollywood thriller. 

 Bengali Murghi and Tait’s India connect

 As Bangladesh calls themselves Tigers and Sri Lanka consider themselves Lions, a neutral fan who had came for the Sri Lanka-Bangladesh match waved a banner that said: “Tigers have the swag, Lions have the skills.” There was a large turnout of Bangladesh journalists for the match on Saturday, and hence one of the dishes on the dinner menu was called “Bengali Murghi Jhol.” 

Bengali Murghi Jhol was among the dishes for media dinner. Photo by K.R. Nayar 

A joke related to former Australian pacer Shaun Tait, the bowling coach of the Bangladesh team, has been floating around among the scribes. Tait married Indian model Mashoom Singha in 2014, and in 2017 he became an Overseas Citizen of India. The question then is whether, during the Bangladesh-Pakistan match, the Pakistan players would shake hands with Tait. Interestingly, in 2022, he was the bowling coach of the Pakistan team.