The Sharjah Cricket Stadium, located in the vicinity of the industrial area, is popular as the common man’s stadium. The area is the workplace of many Bangladesh and Afghanistan expats and almost all the seats in the general stand enclosure at the stadium were taken by them on Tuesday.

Those who could not get inside gathered outside the stadium for a feel of the atmosphere. An #ItAllStartedHere banner at the entrance served as a reminder of the first Asia Cup that was held in Sharjah in 1984.

The Bangladesh supporters were the first to enter. A lot of them are mechanics and assembled near a petrol pump nearby, changing into their jerseys and headbands. A man, shielding his head from the scorching sun with a team jersey, was spotted selling Bangladesh flags. Asked about the price, he replied: “No fixed price. Pay whatever you want for your country’s flag.”

Some of the Afghanistan supporters took refuge from the sun under their large flag as they walked to the stadium.

Stuffed tigers

Egyptians and Iranians with shops near the Sharjah stadium were amused at the sight of people carrying stuffed tigers, the mascot of the Bangladesh team, popularly called The Tigers. A policeman even stopped one such supporter, telling him that a stuffed tiger wasn’t a permitted item. The man, however, pointed to the list of banned items and said only live animals were not permitted while he was merely carrying in a stuffed tiger.

Neutral eye

Photographer Ahmed Ramzan works for one of the leading newspapers in the UAE. Though his roots are in Pakistan, he was born and brought up in the UAE. Many mistake him to be an UAE national as he always wears a kandora, the traditional dress of the Arabs, and sports a long salt-and-pepper beard, besides speaking fluent Arabic. He has been shooting cricket matches in Sharjah for nearly two decades now and makes it a point, after every shot, to ask players their names even if they are famous.

“It is important to always check with any sportsman his name, however, famous he may be,” Ramzan, who declared himself a neutral photographer during Tuesday’s match, said.

Fishy fare

The Afghanistan fans were outnumbered by their Bangladesh counterparts on Tuesday by a lot. At the postmatch conference, Bangladesh top-scorer (48 not out) Mosaddek Hossain, on being asked by The Telegraph about the crowd support, said: “We felt like we were playing in Bangladesh.”

Afghanistan skipper Mohammad Nabi agreed: “We always have a large turnout of our fans in Sharjah but today (Tuesday), Bangladesh beat us in numbers.” Fish curries are very popular among Bangladeshis. Hence Bangla fish curry was served for dinner at the media centre. As for the fans waiting to enter the stadium, most were seen enjoying shawarmas, a popular fast food here, from a nearby cafeteria that has named their club sandwich the Sharjah Club.