Tigers urged fans to spare them in social media
BCB: Roton Gomes
|| CF Correspondent ||
Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe bin Mortaza urged fans to refrain from trolling and abusing in the social media if things don’t go as per their expectations in the social.
Bangladesh were defeated by India in their must-win game and ended their hope of progressing to the semi-final of the World Cup .
Mashrafe is well aware that this loss to the tournament favorites can pay them dearly because it will not be just another loss - if it happens - but a loss to the one team they love to hate.
During the last one month, Mashrafe, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mohammad Mithun have been subjected to a lot of abuse and trolling in the social media, something Tamim experienced first-hand during and after the 2015 World Cup.
The trolling and abuse can reach extreme level or even get worse for Tamim if he fails to deliver with the bat on his 200 th ODI considering the way he dropped Rohit Sharma for nine runs.
‘’There will be excitement but it won't be acceptable if it crosses the limit or someone is targeted personally," Mashrafe told BDnews24.com.
"Social media and abuse and trolling is hard to ignore for players, no matter how hard we try to avoid them. Cricketers are also human. It affects relations between two countries and doesn't send a great message about our country either,’’ he said.
"Both sides will want to win the game. Our supporters should definitely back us with all their heart but it shouldn't become dirty. We should keep in mind that we don't do anything to belittle our country."
The stakes are high ahead of their crucial match as according to media reports there is talk among Bangladeshi expatriates living in Birmingham of buying tickets at higher prices.
Tiger’s fans entered the stadium in large groups so that they are not overwhelmed by the Indian support troops, who are likely to be in a majority during the game.
One group also organized a march towards Edgbaston, although they aren't sure how many are joining them.
It's got to the point where captain Mashrafe Mortaza has had had to ask the team's supporters to tone it down.
"There will be excitement but it won't be acceptable if it crosses the limit or someone is targeted personally," Mashrafe told BDnews24.com. "Social media and abuse and trolling are hard to ignore for players, no matter how hard we try to avoid them. Cricketers are also human. It affects relations between two countries and doesn't send a great message about our country either. "Both sides will want to win the game. Our supporters should definitely back us with all their heart but it shouldn't become dirty. We should keep in mind that we don't do anything to belittle our country,’’ he added.
It was seen in the past that there is a common conception among the Tigers fans that they are that they were given a raw deal - in cricketing terms - by their neighbors.
On the field, Bangladesh have a 5-30 win-loss record against India in ODIs, though famous victories in 2004, the 2007 World Cup, the 2012 Asia Cup and the 2015 ODI series were posts of progress.
Bangladesh's evolution as a team, particularly in the last four years in which they also beat India twice, has added to the fans' confidence and they have built a parallel universe where it is believed that there is no clear favorite in this contest though the difference between the two sides clearly stated in their rankings and win-loss ratio.
Tamim had earlier stated that fans should think about their contribution before making fun out of them along with ushering their hatred in the social media platform.
‘’I am trying to stay away from social media, and knowing my family, they will never tell me. I hope it doesn't happen again," he said. "I just want to ask those who are writing all these things about us, whether they can take a few minutes to realize what these players have done for the country in the last 10-12 years. We are all fighting for Bangladesh, in whatever capacity we find ourselves in."
But whether fans will play heed to Tamim is a matter for the future as they are expected to be angry with him for dropping man of the match Rohit Sharma at nine and failing to compensate it with the bat when it mattered the most.
