The maiden test victory over Pakistan came on the 25th of August. It was a moment that had never occurred in our history. Or in lay people's terms, we never beat Pakistan. We had played 13 tests and drew 1 and got whacked in the rest. So it was special for everyone who keeps track of sports events including our few meager triumphs. Let's face it. We may have changed and topped regimes many times, at least five or maybe six but that is far less than the number of times we have beaten Pakistan or India in our cricket encounters.

A once cricket enthusiast

There was a time when I was what is called a cricket fanatic, though of Bangladesh cricket only. Others were interesting but Bangladesh was madness for me. When a match was on, I would follow it on my computer and my mind lay there all the time. Interestingly, I never watched it on TV or any cricket site on the web.

There were two reasons. One was that I was always busy with one kind of work or another and undivided attention was practically impossible to give so I couldn't even follow regularly. But as soon as I saw something dramatic or just some progress I would post it on my FB timeline. Many of my friends followed it because it was like getting score alerts of sorts and told in light hearted tones. People saw me as the cricket poster and made good natured fun of me and my obsession.

The other reason why I don't watch cricket is that my friends think I am a jinx. If I watch a match Bangladesh loses. So in the greater interest of Bangladesh cricket I gave up watching live. However, it doesn't seem to have had much impact because in the last few years the team, M and W both, have done poorly, losing regularly. It was a heartbreaking matter and to put an end to that I stopped being a BD cricket fanatic and that's that.

A brief return?

I wasn't really looking for cricket but suddenly saw on a notification that Pakistan was 1 wicket down. I knew Test matches were the worst possible format for us so I just glanced and scrolled away. But more wickets fell and it became interesting. Then Pakistan had a stand and I lost interest and so on and on.

When Pakistan's score reached 448/6 and they declared I was certain what the result would be and hoped it would not be too humiliating a loss. But then something happened and Bangladesh kept on playing.

When it kissed 300 hundred I started checking regularly. I was calculating how far behind we would be at the end of the innings. And then suddenly we had crossed the score. Yep, I never thought it was possible. And when we took that 100 + runs lead I thought something must be wrong. I kept on checking various sites to confirm and finally was convinced my Alzheimer wasn't that bad. We had done the never done before.

I never expected Pakistan to crumble in the second innings and certainly not in that way they did. I kept reminding myself that Pakistan is far better than that team but they seemed to be desperate to make a point about the inglorious uncertainty of cricket. When they ended the sorry second innings, it was impossible not to win for Bangladesh.

I expected the team to lose 4 wickets - old habits and memories- before reaching the target but they did so in only 6 overs. I had done something rarely if ever done before. I had postponed an appointment by an hour because I wanted to follow the score. 1, 6. 10. 15, 24, 26, 30. We were home with our first win over Pakistan. I felt relief and pride but before I could go any further the telephone rang.

A call from Noahkhali

The person who called was our old domestic help, who had been with us from the mid 60s and left in 2010 only after my mother died, her final caregiver. He came to work as a kid, was gone in 1970 but returned in the midst of 1971. He had detonated a bomb after paddling his canoe close to the Pak army camp. Then, not feeling safe he paddled on and later took a train and somehow reached our home and after that was a permanent feature in our home.

He retired back to his village after my mother's demise. We sons all pooled together and organized an income generating project for him. He had a homestead and he could get by but he was getting older and ailing as was his wife. We would try our best to help him.

The call from his home was so unsettling. "Its all under water. The home is gone, the cows I don't know where. We were on the roof of the home. It's all under water." It's not his story alone but that of all the affected people. It's the sudden disaster that somehow washed away all the triumphant joy of the Test win leaving us stranded in our sorrow of a disaster that has hit so many.

Thanks to the cricket players for giving us the victory but the mind really can't overflow with joy as we see and hear the floods washing away homes and hearts.