There are cricket-crazy nations and there’s Bangladesh. The merriment you saw on TV was just a trailer. In fact, the ‘real’ party was on Dhaka’s dimly-lit squalid roads. Drums? Yeah. Vuvuzelas? Yeah. Unnamed musical instruments? Yeah.

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Firecrackers? Yeah. Deafening noise? Yeah. Chaos? Hell, yeah! It was a really long Tuesday night and giving up your Indian citizenship for a few hours wasn’t a bad idea!

Moments after Mushfiqur Rahim & Co stunned Sri Lanka to confirm India’s departure from Dhaka, Sheikh Hasina put her gun-toting blackcats in a fix. The prime minister broke all protocol by stepping out of the bulletproof cabin, situated in the Grand Stand of the Sher-e-Bangla, to greet the boys in front of the dressing room. The occasion thoroughly demanded it, though.

A day later, the country’s first citizen sent across a box of fruits and sweets for the boys. There was a message too. “Just win on Thursday and you can’t even think of what’s awaiting you.” What more do you need to motivate a bunch of 20-somethings?Bangladesh’s road to the final has been nothing but awe-inspiring.

First, they came close to upsetting Pakistan. Then, they gatecrashed Sachin Tendulkar’s party. And finally, the Tigers thumped Sri Lanka to knock India out of the tournament. Neither the world champions nor the World Cup runners-up will play any role in the final of the Asia Cup on Thursday. Odd, but true. In any case, the continent will be painted ‘green’.

Skipper Rahim knows his side stands at the threshold of history. But the wicketkeeper-batsman doesn’t want to jump the gun. Bangladesh have often flattered, only to deceive and Rahim knows how important Thursday’s title clash could be. “We have played some top-quality cricket over the past 10 days or so, but the job is not done,” Rahim said.

Pakistan’s Younus Khan said, in no uncertain terms, that his teammates were hoping to meet India in the final, but praised Bangladesh for their superb performance. “They have reached the final on merit and I think they deserve it. They came close to beating us in the tournament opener and, therefore, we will have to be at our best on Thursday,” the senior pro said.

Mahela Jayawardene had said in jest that both captains should “practise the tosses” as batting under lights gets all the more easier. Rahim has had good luck with the toss and that’s helped them chase down stiff targets. Khan, though, played down the interest surrounding the toss, saying chasing a final is a tough job in itself.

Bangladesh’s biggest strength has been their team work. Each and every player has contributed to the team’s cause, but big matches call for big players. Expectedly, the Tamim Iqbals and the Shakib Al Hasans will have to shoulder the responsibility.

For once, Pakistan’s openers — Nasir Jamshed and Mohammad Hafeez — have clicked and it remains to be seen how they make life easy for the shaky middle-order. It was Umar Gul who stood between Bangladesh and victory in the first match and the pacer’s job profile will be no different on Thursday.

As always, Bangladesh have nothing to lose. But maybe, it’s time they played like their lives depended on Thursday’s match. Don’t even think of the magnitude of the after-party.