Bangladesh fans packed the Shere Bangla and the area around it during the game against Ireland © Getty Images

The opening game against Bangladesh last Friday was my 100th for Ireland in all competitions, and I should really have been celebrating a win. I suppose if we don’t qualify for the quarter-finals it will never get out of our system. That said, it’s gone and now my complete focus is on the England game this afternoon. It’s disappointing, but it’s a game of cricket, and unless it’s a tie like the other day, someone has to lose.

Although I didn’t have a happy time with the bat, I was pleased with the way I bowled. It wasn’t easy coming on after they had got off to such a quick start, but I had a game plan to bowl tight on leg and middle stump to deny them room, and it worked.

It was a great bonus to get the wicket of Imrul Kayes thanks to a brilliant piece of work from Nobby (Niall O’Brien) standing up. He’s as good as anyone in the business, and I think he showed just what he’s capable of. If you’re a batsman and you make the slightest mistake, then you’re gone, as we’ve all seen over the last coupe of years with him.

I can’t leave the Bangladesh game without a word about their supporters and the atmosphere they created, not just at the game, but also in the surrounding environs of the stadium. It’s hard to convey the passion they have for cricket to fans back in Ireland. I suppose a good analogy would be the reception that the Ireland soccer team received in Dublin in the hey days of the European Championships in 1988 or the World Cup in 1990.

That’s the sort of adulation that Bangladesh supporters have for their cricketers, and they were hanging off buildings and telegraph poles in their thousands to pay tribute to their players. They are so fanatical about their cricket and they definitely got Bangladesh over the finish line in what was a vital game for both of us.

We’ve moved onto Bangalore and are staying in the ITC Royal Gardenia hotel with the England and Indian teams. I have to say that it’s a decent little spot! We’ve travelled around as a cricket team a fair bit over the past few years, so when you get to a hotel like this, you really appreciate it. We’ve stayed in some less than salubrious establishments in that time, but this one certainly doesn’t fit into that category.

A lot of the players’ friends and families have arrived here, and my fiancée Helena and my mother Frances arrive this weekend for the India game. It’ll be great to have them in town and it’s a great morale boost to the squad after being away for nearly a month now. We’re proud of ourselves as international cricketers, but that’s nothing compared to the pride our families feel for us. It makes you doubly determined to do well, knowing how much it means to them and friends back home.

We take on England today in what is a huge game for us. They have been in good form, with the bat especially. The opening pairing of Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen is as good as any in the competition, while Ian Bell has looked in supreme touch. We’ve given them a few close run games in recent times, but haven’t beaten them yet. We’ve a lot of respect for England, but no fear of them.

It’s a help having so many county players in our ranks, and they have been great assets in preparing for the game. We’re going to be positive, and take the game to England, and hopefully the next time we catch up, I’ll be talking about a famous Ireland win.

It’s not often that a person’s name represents what they actually are. Think about Graeme Smith and Graeme Swann – neither of them could be described as a gravel area, could they? What about Allan Donald and Allan Lamb? Neither of them are too harmonious. Some people, however, fit their names perfectly - like Dipender, a volunteer at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi.

Dipender, whose name literally means “lord of light”, was certainly a shining beacon – and completely dependable - after a difficult day at the stadium covering the South Africa-West Indies match.

Reporters have no right to complain about not receiving free internet or food when they go to work in a stadium, but given it’s commonplace in press boxes and journalists love freebies, complain they did. Both eventually arrived and stories were filed on time, empty stomachs were fed, and just before midnight, bags were packed.

Then, it was time to hit the town. Dipender knew exactly what to do. He gathered a few them and offered a lift to popular Connaught Place in his own car, ushered them into a bar, saw to it that their drinks were ordered, that they were seated comfortably and that their cab was organised to collect them at closing time.

It was a typical gesture of Indian hospitality that has become world renowned for its policy of “guest is God” but there was something a little different to finding it in a tournament volunteer who had been shouted at by some of the people he was being so kind to, for things that were totally beyond his control. Volunteers are usually passionate people, the type that just want to get involved in the game, no matter what the cost, both on their time and their humanity.

They are usually the die-hards but my impression of them had been tainted somewhat by an incident in my home country. During the football World Cup, one of the volunteers threatened to “smack” me after I could not find my seat at a Bafana Bafana warm up match and was looking in the aisle to see if someone else was in it. He was desperate for me to move and I was desperate to stay on the halfway line, where I had booked my ticket, and it all got ugly. That was before the tournament had even started and I avoided them at all cost once the real kick off arrived.

The volunteers at this event have been very different. They’ve managed to smile even when all the systems crashed and problems far more serious than a seat that could not be found were mounting. I wouldn’t have blamed them for wanting to smack some of the prima donnas who were bombarding them with requests they simply could not deal with. Dipender, in particular, went way beyond the call of duty, and even ended the evening by drawing up a list of places of interest the journalists may want to visit in their free time. He hasn’t yet offered to be the tour guide, but there are still a few more days in Delhi to see if he does.

John Mooney: "At our training sessions there have been hundreds of fans crushing each other just in the hope of getting a glimpse of us - it’s just unbelievable"

We’ve been in Dhaka for five days now and one can’t help but be totally overwhelmed by the passion of the fans in this cricket-mad country. I’m a Liverpool fan myself, and I remember standing in the Old Kop at Anfield during the last game before it was demolished. Ian Rush scored that day against Coventry and the surge of fans and the adrenalin of that charged atmosphere is something that will live for me forever. Those are the type of supporters that Bangladesh have.

At our training sessions there have been hundreds of fans crushing each other just in the hope of getting a glimpse of us. That shows you the type of standing cricket has here – we were just training, doing nothing out of the ordinary, and they turn up in droves – it’s just unbelievable.

On Saturday morning, eight of the squad went to visit Plan Bangladesh which is a charity which helps disadvantaged children in the developing world. We’re very aware of our responsibility as international cricketers to do as much as we can, and we’re getting involved with several charities while on tour. They include the Irish Cancer Society, Plan Ireland, The Hope Foundation, as well as the ICC Projects Room to Read and Thinkwise.

For me personally it was an amazing experience visiting the child shelter. I have to put my hand up admit I’m the first one to grumble when I have to make an early start to catch a flight. When you visit a project like this, it puts it all in perspective. The magnificent work that Plan Ireland and Bangladesh are doing just makes you fell so humble, and appreciate just how fortunate we are as cricketers, being pampered wherever we go.

I’m know it’s a bit of a cliché, but just to see the smiles on the kids faces really affected everyone, and you would have to be made of stone not to have been emotional when you see their plight. The experience will live with me forever – it was a great initiative for Cricket Ireland to get involved with, and it’s really inspiring to see the difference that Plan Bangladesh make to their lives.

We’ve been training hard here, with everyone raring to go ahead of the crucial clash with Bangladesh on Friday. It’s a game everyone wants to play in and any niggling injuries aren’t holding the guys back as they attempt to secure a berth in Phil Simmons starting XI.

The facilities here in Dhaka are first class, with everything we could wish for. We’ve a fantastic support staff behind us, and they’re preparing us as best as they can for the World Cup ahead. That’s been the feature this time for me compared to 2007 – the amount of work that’s gone in with all the training camps, and facilities and resources at our disposal.

It was Pete Johnston’s (our assistant coach) birthday on Sunday so we had a bit of a celebration for him, with a cake and the players singing happy birthday. We’re a really close bunch of players and we try and cheer everyone up. Touring can be a difficult time for everyone, and it’s not easy spending so much time away from family, so it’s important that everyone is in good spirits. We’ve fostered a camaraderie within our ranks that’s second to none as far as I’m concerned. We’re proud to be wearing the green of Ireland, and we’re all in it together as we step onto the field.

On our afternoon off, after training, myself and Gary Wilson took on Ed Joyce and Paul Stirling in a four-ball at a nearby golf course which was truly sensational. I have to admit it was a bit weird playing the first hole with ten security guards with machine guns lined up on the tee – talk about pressure! Although our opposition and young Stirlo in particular started off like a train, they wilted in the conditions, and the old firm of Wilson and yours truly grabbed the honours – 2 up.

Back to cricketing matters and for those of you who mightn’t be too familiar with our team, I thought I’d give you a run down on who to watch out for in the coming weeks.

I’ll start with the bowlers first and Boyd Rankin who made such an impression in 2007. He’s going to be a really key player for us with his extra height and the steepling bounce that he can generate. We’ve seen in the games so far just how openers are taking on attacks first up and using the extra pace on the ball. We’re hoping Boyd can take early wickets and force teams to consolidate. On his day Boyd has the ability to be right up there with any of the top bowlers in world cricket, and he’ll trouble the best of them when he clicks.

He’ll be partnered by Trent Johnston who will bowl tight lines and is one of our most consistent performers. I’d back him to do well in all our games. George Dockrell, the youngest player in the tournament did exceptionally well for us in the Twenty20 games. Nothing seems to faze him and he’s got an experienced head on his young shoulders.

On the batting side of things, I’ve mentioned it before, but Paul Stirling is an unbelievable talent. He’s my favourite player to watch in world cricket when he’s in full flow, and I’d pay good money to watch him at his best. I hope fans all over the world get to see that for themselves during the competition.

Ed Joyce is back in the fold and it’s as if he’s never been away – a seamless transition if you like. He’s a class act and brings a level-headedness and a maturity that will strengthen our side considerably. We bat right down but those two along with William Porterfield and Niall O’Brien will score runs for us.

Till next time when hopefully I’ll be able to bring news of a victory in our first match.

There was an eerie silence on Dhaka streets on Sunday, but the fans were back on Monday evening © ESPNcricinfo Ltd

This Sunday in Dhaka had a terrible hungover feel. It had been a week full of partying out in the streets, and then suddenly the home team ran into Virender Sehwag. Reality check. Suddenly the World Cup came crashing down. For the first time since landing here on Tuesday, I saw empty streets Saturday night. Such quiet so soon after such noise can be unsettling. The next morning was to be worse.

Not only for Bangladesh, but the whole World Cup. The roads remained as quiet as is possible in Dhaka. No flags on the streets, no vuvuzelas, no horns, no people on rooftops. The worst realisation dawned when you switched the TV on, and saw Kenya and Canada play, you realised there was a whole month of meaningless matches before you could get into the World Cup proper. It is in fact a tribute to the Dhaka people that they created that World Cup atmosphere, and so well that even the most cynical of analysts forgot what an ordeal awaits them in the league stages.

It was through peaceful roads on Monday morning that we made our way to the Bangladesh nets session. They looked jovial, they seemed to have moved on from the defeat in the opener. Bowlers fought with batsmen over whether the shot would have been caught by the imaginary field he had set, or whether it would have gone into the gap. However, thousands of people didn’t wait outside, like they had been doing the previous week, to catch a glimpse of their heroes when they would leave.

I asked Tamim if that adds to their disappointment of losing; that people who had created such great atmosphere for the World Cup are sitting quietly at homes, on a holiday, the International Mother Language Day, which marks the start of the Bangla language movement in East Pakistan on February 21, 1952. Tamim said, “We players need a rest after every match. Same way, the crowd needs some rest. I am sure they all will be back before the match, and they will be on song.”

As I crossed the Shere Bangla National Stadium in the evening, lo, there were thousands outside the ground again. Horns, flags, vuvuzelas were back. It was back to being a mela [carnival] again. It will take more than just one defeat to keep the Dhaka people indoors.

The Bangabandhu Stadium looks ready to host the World Cup opening ceremony © ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Bangabandhu Stadium was once the soul of Bangladesh cricket, and sport in general. By extension, the soul of the nation itself. It gave not only Bangladesh, but also Pakistan, their Test debuts, in 1955 and in 2000. It staged successfully the Champions Trophy in 1998-99. Being situated in the Gulistan area, it is in the heart of Dhaka, easy for people to access, for them to make cricket part of their lives. Right next to it is the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque.

Old-timers talk wistfully of the days when the stadium was the home of Bangladesh cricket. When college kids could bunk classes and catch domestic cricket, when office-goers could watch evening sessions, when life merged with cricket and cricket merged with life. Most missed is the adda (when Bengali people either side of the border sit and chat, they like to call the arrangement an adda) outside the stadium around the various small restaurants that served cheap food. Tea, food, smoke, sport, and endless debates and discussions on sport. Meerpoor keno jabo amra was the common cry when it was announced that the Shere Bangla National Stadium would be the new home of Bangladesh cricket. Why must we go to Mirpur?

Ambitious and modern, Shere Bangla is an impressive ground. Drainage, seating, dressing rooms are top class, and the practice facilities are perhaps the best in the subcontinent. Four teams can train there simultaneously without bumping into each other. The crowd is cared for better too. Long will the tradition-v-modernity debate carry on at the addas in the rest of Dhaka, but fact remains that the locals miss their old iconic ground, their original adda. Gone with cricket are the restaurants, and the Outer Stadium. They have been replaced by other sports association offices. One of them is delightfully named “Mohammad Ali Boxing Stadium”.

On Wednesday, though, there was cricketing life at the Bangabandhu Stadium. Not sure how the old-timers would compare it to their days of enjoying cricket here, but the sheer number of people waiting at the gates to get a chance to see the rehearsal of the opening ceremony of the World Cup was overwhelming. Yes, just the rehearsal.

Only those with tickets could get in, though, and the tickets were distributed only among the various administrative and security staffs of the country. The idea was for them to enjoy the event today, so that they can get back to their job of making the real thing possible on Thursday. Just watching the number of people outside the stadium when there was no promise of any action suggested it was a good move to hold the opening ceremony at this historic venue. As we tried to make our way in, one man came to distribute copies of the schedule of the World Cup, and it caused a near-stampede there. Everybody wanted one. Who knows if there were restaurants there, they could have sat down, ordered tea and lit cigarettes, and would have started discussing the schedule.

Inside, the stadium looks ready for the occasion. Swanky new hospitality suites have been brought up. About 25,000 seats have been added to the stands. Giant screens have come up, floodlights have been renovated. The facelift has cost about 350 million takas (approx. US$ 5 million). The tall Industrial Bank Building at one end and the mosque at the other bring back memories of cricket at Bangabandhu. Almost a full house for the rehearsal is a testament to the interest that cricket, Bangabandhu and the World Cup (all combined in this case) generate in this country.

For the ceremony itself, a circular stage has been erected in the middle of the ground. The turf and the athletics tracks have been covered in cloth black and white. Cricket and inauguration ceremonies generally haven’t been good bedfellows. Who can forget the epic fail that the laser show in 1996 was, or Saeed Jaffrey, otherwise a good actor and the host of the evening, calling the South African team “Emirates”? Wisden called the low-key affair at Lord’s in 1999 pathetic, and 2003 was too long and boring. This time around too, the ICC has done its best to keep the proud tradition going, with its selection of artists – Bryan Adams, really? – but that is unlikely to stop Dhaka from selling out the event, from making one last cricketing connection with their beloved stadium.

Fans with World Cup tickets in Dhaka © Associated Press

My enduring memory of cricket in Bangladesh is from the last day of India’s tour in 2007. There wasn’t much left in the match: Bangladesh were sure to lose the Test by an innings. There was no if, only when. Then Mohammad Ashraful, perhaps the most frustrating cricketer to have come from the country, lifted the gloom with a counterattacking half-century. In the unforgiving heat of May, the whole stadium danced to his shots. It was joyful while it lasted. For those 46 minutes, which got Ashraful 67 runs, the crowd forgot all that had gone wrong with their cricket after a pretty successful World Cup. And then, Ashraful got out. The sigh that followed from the crowd is the loudest I have heard. And then silence. Comprehensive. These crowds make it fun to watch cricket in Bangladesh.

Four years on, I came back looking for similar passion, for similar atmosphere, for similar celebration of cricket. Naturally, huge hype was expected around the World Cup. As Shakib Al Hasan said, this is the only sport they play the World Cup of. The only World Cup they are hosting. The first time in their history when their progression to the second round, if it comes about, won’t be considered an upset.

In terms of build-up, I saw no disappointment. The first thing I saw in the country, walking out of the aircraft, was the big ICC World Cup hoarding, welcoming people to Bangladesh. However, equally noteworthy was the bottom quarter dedicated to the “commercial partners”. All of 11. I must have successfully managed to insulate myself to this aspect of the World Cup in India, because this was the first time it hit me.

The trend continues all over Dhaka. Sponsor after sponsor has queued up to gain from the World Cup. “Tigers, bring home the cup”, “Go fans, cheers for Tigers” are the kind of lines being used to sell motor bikes, soft drinks, refrigerators, everything. This is not what I was looking forward to after my experience in 2007, when an RC Cola trolley used to stroll out during drinks break. Now it is all organised, all multi-nationalised. Nothing unofficial about it.

The administrators have jumped on the bandwagon too, planting stories every other day, about how they will get rid of beggars on the streets, how they will get houses painted, how they will gives buses a facelift. Having read these ridiculous stories, having seen the overwhelming advertising drive, all I thought on my way to Mirpur was, this is not their World Cup. This has to be the people’s World Cup.

With that uneasy feeling, I made my way to the Shere Bangla Stadium for a warm-up game between Bangladesh and Pakistan, past security overwhelming in number and overbearing in nature. That, though, is something we can’t wish away: it’s the fate of those wanting to watch cricket in the subcontinent, except perhaps in Sri Lanka where the cricket still retains the laid-back touch.

The first scenes at the stadium, though, couldn’t have been more reassuring. We were already into the 18th over by the time I got accreditation and other formalities done with, and by then close to 14,000 were watching what their coach and captain had termed “not a real game”. Rooftops around the stadium were taken too, and people stayed there till late into the night. Come the “real game”, the new stylish roof over two stands in the stadium might just come down.

Today, though, it wasn’t possible: news soon trickled in that thousands were stranded outside because of problems with the ticketing process. They had bought their vouchers from banks in advance. The vouchers were to get them tickets at ticketing booths, but the sheer numbers and the alleged slowness of the ticketing process meant some of the people left and some could make their way in only past evening. It was that kind of a day in Dhaka.

More are to follow. Starting Wednesday, Eid-e-Miladunnabi, the nation is going on a five-day weekend. One of those days will be the World Cup inauguration ceremony at the iconic Bangabandhu Stadium, one will be the inaugural match, between India and Bangladesh. If you are not here this “weekend”, you might miss out on a lot.

The small Ganapathy mandir in the the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai © ESPNcricinfo

So many vehicles, two wheels, four wheels, even three wheels. For a kid, most probably a boy, from anywhere outside of India, it would have been wheelie heaven. For me, it was one of the most intimidating sights I have ever seen. And it was only Chennai, not one of the really traffic-plagued cities like Bangalore or Mumbai.

Chennai is a different city to the one I met four years before when I came on a trip to India to discover my ancestry. To my eye, the sheer volume of vehicles on the road has increased many fold. It’s the most literal illustration of globalisation in Indian cities and to see it with my own eyes was both overwhelming and exhilarating.

To sit in it was nothing short of exciting. I’m certain that more accidents don’t happen on Indian roads because of the sheer deftness of the drivers. Their instincts are sharper than most fielders as they dodge and swerve while managing to hoot and act as tour guides at the same time. A journey as short as five kilometres can take up to 40 minutes but the spectacle is worth every second.

Luckily, I was able to find two elements of zen in what seemed like a sea of chaos on the roads, both of them in the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The first I saw seconds after entering. There is small temple just inside the Pattabhiraman Gate. It’s a humble structure; it’s shape nothing more than one of those houses I was taught to draw without lifting a pen. It had a small picture of Lord Ganesh. I was told that some of the officials of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association are religious and the modest temple they have erected at the main gate creates an immediate sense of calm.

The second came as I was walking to collect my accreditation from the office. While marvelling at the stadium, some parts on the outside of which are still under construction, I heard a very familiar jingle. So familiar that I hold myself back from doing the dance, because it didn’t seem the proper thing to do in a city where all the woman I noticed on the street were in traditional clothing. It was the song that defined the football World Cup in South Africa eight months ago – Shakira’s groovy track, Waka Waka.

Those first notes of the song that preached how Africa’s time had come never fail to warm my heart and hearing it India brought the concept of the World Cup alive for me. Of course, this is not India’s first shot at hosting the tournament, but, like all major events in developing countries, the questions raised about their readiness have been tantamount and often unfair. For the record, the systems worked as efficiently as they did in South Africa (which means very efficiently) and the volunteers in the stadium were some of the most helpful people I have ever come across.

Watching my first bit of live cricket in India – the warm-up match between South Africa and Zimbabwe – was almost a religious experience itself. Having a few thousand people cheering all the way was beyond heavenly. My only concern came when it was time for them to head home and back into the traffic of that bustling city.