It doesn't get bigger than this for Bangladesh

Bangladesh is already in the throes of World Cup fever, with thousands queuing for tickets for the opening match with India in Dhaka.

Fans have their own celebration outside the stadium during the World Cup opening ceremony in Dhaka yesterday.

DHAKA // A place in the Cricket World Cup that other countries take for granted is something to be cherished in Bangladesh, which watched enviously while the other subcontinent nations hosted the tournament in 1987 and 1996.

Now, this nation of 160 million is determined to enjoy its moment in the global spotlight.

Only eight of the 49 matches to be played over the next six weeks will be in Bangladesh, and there is no talk of meaningless fixtures here.

Some fans queued for two nights to get a ticket for the tournament opener against India, and last night the streets around the Bangabandhu National Stadium were witness to chaotic scenes in the hours leading up to the opening ceremony.

Thousands of fans waited patiently in serpentine lines, many of them with little hope of getting inside a stadium that could seat only 20,000.

Others hung around hoping to catch a glimpse of the cricketers, watched closely by thousands of security personnel.

The green Bangladesh shirt was everywhere, hundreds of faces had been painted in the national team's colours, and hope abounded that an upset was possible against India, the tournament favourites, in the first match tomorrow.

With the Indian cricket board not having invited Bangladesh to tour even once since they were granted Test status in 2000, no other scalp means as much to the average Tigers fan.

The Bangabandhu (Friend of Bengal) Stadium, named after Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of the nation who was assassinated in a military coup in 1975, hosts only football matches these days.

However, it has the unique honour of having staged the first Tests played by both Pakistan (1954-55) and Bangladesh.

Inside, the stands were packed long before the opening ceremony commenced with the national anthem.

The 14 captains arrived in the cycle-rickshaws that are such an integral part of the Purano (Old) Dhaka experience, and the loudest cheer was reserved for Shakib al Hasan, whose all-round skills and calm temperament will be crucial to his team's chances of keeping pace with burgeoning expectations.

In between a mixture of traditional art forms and the now-ubiquitous Bollywood song-and-dance routines, there were speeches from various dignitaries, including Sharad Pawar, the president of the International Cricket Council.

Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister who is also Sheikh Mujibur's daughter, followed him.

As she finished her speech - "I congratulate the cricket-loving countrymen for their great enthusiasm and co-operation to make this event a grand success" - and declared the World Cup open, fireworks lit up the evening sky.

With strobe lights creating a Gotham City-like atmosphere, the stage was then given over to a display of Bangladeshi culture.

Runa Laila, the iconic singer, got the loudest cheers for her rendition of Dama Dam Mast Qalander, a Qawwali that she made hugely popular more than three decades ago.

After that, it was time for Bryan Adams and a low-key version of Summer of '69, his chart-topping hit from a time (June 1985) when Bangladesh were not even a blip on the cricket radar.

The theme song for the competition - performed by Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy - followed, before the curtain came down.

Over the next six weeks, the 14 teams will criss-cross the subcontinent, playing 48 games at 13 venues before the summit clash in Mumbai on April 2.

The games will be watched on television in as many as 180 countries, with up to a billion people tuning in.

The excitement may be greatest here in Bangladesh, which played their first international just 25 years ago and played in their first World Cup in 1999.

Tomorrow, as many as 80 million Bangladeshis could watch the tournament opener.

All of Dhaka's congested roads will lead to the 30,000-seater Shere Bangla Stadium for what the locals hope will be the classic David-against-Goliath encounter.

The song, dance and fireworks are over. It is time for cricket and a joyous host nation to take centre stage.