Sharad Pawar’s Bengali rocks

International Cricket Council president Sharad Pawar surprised everyone when he delivered the introductory lines of his inauguration speech in Bengali

Sharad Pawar's Bengali rocks

International Cricket Council president Sharad Pawar surprised everyone when he delivered the introductory lines of his inauguration speech in Bengali. "Swagatom (welcome). Bangladesh khoob sundor desh (Bangladesh is a beautiful country). Pradhan Mantrir haath dhore progotir pothe egiye cholechen apnara (The Bangladesh Prime Minister is guiding you towards the road of progress)."

An obviously elated Bangla crowd gave a deafening applause to Pawar. He ended his speech in Bengali saying "Joy Bangla". Right lines, Mr Pawar!

Canadian-born superstar Bryan Adams rocked the full house Bangabandhu Stadium during the opening ceremony here yesterday. While he mesmerised the crowd with some of his popular numbers, his evergreen hit ufffd the Summer of 69 ufffd seemed to have dazzled everyone.

Indian singer Sonu Nigam rendered his self-composed English song "Rise for glory". Bangladesh-based Runa Laila and Sabina Yasmin also sang their hit numbers to enthrall the crowd.u00a0u00a0

Cricket in the air
A Simulated cricketing experience was on display when eight paratroopers of the Bangladesh army played a game in the air with a green laser for a ball. They made use of a nearby 24-storey building Shilpa Bank Bhavan, to provide a never-seen-before experience for all.

Team India's lunch
The Indian team arrived at the hotel here at 13:15 yesterday afternoon. Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan led the team to lunch. MiD DAY saw bowling coach Eric Simmons and mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton relishing their dessert.

All is well?
The Indian Premier League may have helped in breaking all boundaries, but it wasn't the case so yesterday. Ricky Ponting, Graeme Smith and Daniel Vettori were waiting for the elevator, but none of the captains spoke to each other. Is everything well between the trio?

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