World Cup 2015: Shoaib ‘Tiger’ Bukhari is Bangladesh’s most recognisable fan

A motor mechanic by profession, Tiger confesses that he got hooked to cricket after watching Sourav Ganguly and Shahid Afridi in action.

“They are my two favourite cricketers, and it was only after watching them play that I started following cricket intently,” he concedes. With time, this love turned into full-fleged fanaticism. “I was in my teens when my team became a Test playing nation. Initially, they played and lost several matches. I felt hurt at my team’s poor run. I thought it was because there wasn’t anyone to support my team’s cause,” he says in Bengali.

In 2012, Bukhari decided to don the mantle of being Bangladesh’s official fan. “My aim was to follow my team wherever they went.” He then went a step further and decided to paint himself as a tiger — the official symbol of Bangladesh cricket. “The idea to paint myself as a tiger was mine. It is also a symbol of courage. I wanted my team to play like tigers,” he adds.

Bukhari’s wish was his team’s command. He made his debut as a “tiger” in the 2012 Asia Cup final in Mirpur, a match in which Bangladesh beat India by five wickets. “That has to be one of my favourite moments. I remember Sachin dada got a century, his hundredth hundred.

But it was Tanim Iqbal who played the match-winning knock for us.”

That win made him the official fan of the Bangladesh cricket team. Like Pakistan team’s very own “Chacha” or India’s body-painted Sudhir Gautam, Bangladesh cricket too had found their mascot. “My friends were initially apprehensive of my decision. Tui ki pagol? (Are you mad?)” some asked. “I was adamant. I thought Bangladesh cricket needed a full-time fan…with time I got support from my friends and other cricket fanatics like me,” he says.

On the morning of match days he paints his body all by himself and then washes it off at the end of the game. “People say I could be poisoning myself with the paint, but I don’t think of such things.”

After the 2012 Asia Cup, Bukhari became a regular in all home matches. With his symbolic costume and indefatigable energy, he has earned fans from several quarters. “That’s when people began calling me Tiger. Bhalo lage,” he says.

An offer he could refuse

In between his cricketing escapades, Tiger continued with his odd jobs, more specifically as a motor mechanic for sustenance. During this time, he got an offer to work in the service centre of an auto major. By the looks of it, the job profile was lucrative. There was however, a catch. The job required him to be in Angola, Africa.  “The job offer was great. It would lift me out of my financial doldrums. However, working in Africa would not allow me to follow Bangladesh cricket closely, and secondly, I can’t imagine staying away from my home. So I rejected the offer,” he says.

After following his team at home for more than a year, in 2013, Tiger decided to go abroad. More specifically, to Sri Lanka where Bangladesh were scheduled to play two Tests, three ODIs and a T20 game.  “At home, you are bound to get support anyway. That is not always the case when your team is playing overseas. This is why I had decided to go to Sri Lanka for my team.”

Getting funds for the Sri Lanka trip was an issue for Tiger. Luckily for him, though, the Bangladesh Cricket Board stepped in and sponsored his air tickets. His friends, cricket lovers whom he had befriended at the stadiums in Dhaka and Chittagong, and board officials pooled in money for his stay in the island nation. Barely two months after his Sri Lanka sojourn, Tiger found himself seated in the economy class of Biman Airways again. This time, though, the destination was Zimbabwe. “I was really lucky with the Zimbabwe trip. The news of my Lankan sojourn has spread in Bangladesh. By the time I returned from Colombo, people on the streets had begun recognising me. This helped me get the finances for that trip,” the Dhaka native says.

With two overseas tours in his kitty, Tiger has now set his sights on Australia and New Zealand. “I am itching to get there. Travelling to Australia has its financial constraints though. Getting funds has been tough,” he laments. As a result, he has appealed to the Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina for help. Recently, a supporters group called Bangladesh Cricketers Supporters Association (BCSA) has pitched in to help Tiger. The association, consisting of a motley bunch of cricket lovers from across the country, has got in touch with Bangladeshi nationals living in Australia to arrange Tiger’s stay in the country. Meanwhile, the BCB has assured him of match tickets.
Bangladesh begin their campaign against Afghanistan at the Manuka Oval in Canberra on February 18.  Tiger is realistic about his team’s World Cup prospects. He reckons his team is no pushovers and believes if they play to their potential, they can reach the last eight.

Talk about upsets, Tiger’s voice fills with pride when he refers to his side’s win over India in 2007. “That has to be my favourite World Cup match. I remember watching it on TV…and after the win the entire neighbourhood was celebrating. My friends got crackers and we burst it till early morning.”

Outside cricket, there isn’t much that really excites Tiger Bukhari. Probe him on his love life, and he tells you nonchalantly, “ I don’t have a girlfriend.” Quiz him further and he says,” I haven’t thought about love and girlfriends. All I’m concerned right now is going to Australia and supporting my team.”