The Pakistanis tried to fight back but finally succumbed at 161 all out. The Bangladeshis and their thousands of supporters in Britain, who went on to party all night, had reason to make celebratory noises after play, but if points were substracted from team performances because of the hellish cacophony created on cricket grounds by the mindless idiots among some of their supporters, then India and Pakistan would have been on their way home by now. The racket kicked up by drums, horns, bells and whistles followed by surges of people on to the ground at, or even before, the end of play seem to demonstrate a childish desire to attract attention rather than any attempt to take an intelligent interest in the play. The rules of the tournament expressly forbid the use of noise-making devices, face masks, and fancy dress by spectators. Face masks and fancy dress often improve the actual appearance of some supporters but the noise they make is in indirect proportion to their understanding of the game.
Cricket can unite as well as devide.
Adrian Porter spent a working lifetime as a foreign correspondent for the BBC and other news organisations in various parts of the world. As a cricket fanatic, he managed to find time to play the game in such unlikely places as Bangkok, Buenos Aires, Singapore and New York. His latest venture was to help establish a cricket team in Strasbourg and looks forward to a team from France playing in the World Cup. If you value this page, please tell a friend or join our mailing list .