People in Chittagong were given the day off on Monday to watch Bangladesh play the Netherlands in their crucial World Cup Group B clash. Offices and schools were shut in the port city as a sell-out crowd of 18,000 jammed the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury stadium for the game as Bangladesh continue their push for the quarter-finals.
Published: Mar 14, 2011, 03:17 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 14, 2011, 03:17 PM (IST)
Bangladeshi bowler Abdur Razzak (C) celebrates after the dismissal of Dutch batsman Atse Buurman in Chittagong
Chittagong: Mar 14, 2011
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People in Chittagong were given the day off on Monday to watch Bangladesh play the Netherlands in their crucial World Cup Group B clash. Offices and schools were shut in the port city as a sell-out crowd of 18,000 jammed the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury stadium for the game as Bangladesh continue their push for the quarter-finals.Â
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Three of the four previous matches hosted by Bangladesh in Dhaka and Chittagong fell on Fridays, a weekly holiday in the country. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said before the tournament began that a local holiday would be declared if a World Cup match were played on a working day. “The idea of giving a holiday is good because it helps us to control traffic on roads and make it smooth for spectators,” Chittagong police chief Z.A. Morshed told AFP.Â
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Bangladesh’s last league match against South Africa is scheduled in Dhaka on Saturday, and workers and pupils are set to enjoy another day off. Two quarter-finals will be held in Bangladesh, on March 23 (Wednesday) and March 25 (Friday).Â
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Bangladesh is hosting cricket’s premier tournament for the first time with India and Sri Lanka. All the five matches so far have attracted full houses.
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© AFP
