The buzz in Bangladesh - Under-19 world champions are the toast of the town

Small town Bangladesh is where it's really at. In Narail, at medium-pacer Avishek Das' home, his father is organising a special prayer meeting.

"I never dreamt that my son will play the Under-19 World Cup. I didn't even expect Aronno [Das' nickname] to go through the trial in Khulna Stadium a few years ago but when he got the chance to play in Dhaka in the training camp, I started to believe that he may end up doing something," Asit Das, the proud father, told Prothom Alo. "I will do a puja after Avishek returns home, to thank god for Aronno's success. We wish that Aronno can emulate Mashrafe [Mortaza], and one day make Narail and Bangladesh proud again."

Up north, guests and well-wishers haven't stopped pouring into pace bowler Shoriful Islam's house in Moumari village of Panchagarh district. They have even received congratulatory messages from government officials, including the country's railway minister.

"Missing school didn't go to waste for my son. He was obsessed with cricket," Bulbuli Begum, Shoriful's mother, was quoted as saying by Prothom Alo.

Celebrations are also on in Mymensingh, where left-arm spinner Rakibul Hasan, who struck the winning run in the final, is from. Rakibul's mother, Romela Begum, couldn't stop her tears when he was in the middle, and then when he finished the job off, and since then it has been a whirl of entertaining visitors - local political leaders and government officials have also dropped in at their relatives' houses, Bangla Tribune reported.

Warming up ahead of Sunday's final, Shoriful told fielding coach Faisal Hossain that he would unveil a new celebratory jig if and when he picked up a wicket. "Shoriful said that he will would the batsman's name, put it in his pocket, zip it, and then do a salute. I told him that this is a final, not a group match, keep that in mind," Faisal told Kaler Kantho.

Shoriful got two chances, and went ahead and performed the routine, which piqued interest among cricket fans in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Under-19 coach Navid Nawaz has said that winning the World Cup in South Africa has given him more satisfaction than might have been the case had it been in the subcontinent. Nawaz, who took over the job in 2018, has been instrumental in the side's progress during this period, in which they also dominated New Zealand and England in their backyards.

"For me as a coach, it is not just winning the World Cup, but winning it in South Africa which has made me most proud," Nawaz told Prothom Alo. "It is the biggest achievement. It wouldn't have been this surprising if we had won the World Cup in the subcontinent. For the batsmen especially, it is tough to play in South Africa. We were helped by the two series in England and New Zealand, where we played in bouncy wickets. We also came to South Africa to adapt to the weather. I don't remember anyone in the team saying they were having trouble adjusting to South African conditions."

The boys are the toast of the town at the moment, but Nawaz stressed that it should be understood that the youngsters could not be expected to be of international standard overnight. "There is a huge difference between an Under-19 cricketer and an international cricketer," he said. "We prepared them to meet the demands of Under-19 cricket. But I believe with more training and fitness, they will soon become of international standard. They have the mental and cricketing ability to reach that level."

Former Bangladesh captain Khaled Mahmud has been hailed by many for his influential role as the BCB's head of development. BCB president Nazmul Hassan has said that the board will reward Mahmud upon his return.

Mahmud, for his part, is trying to get the world champions clubs in the Dhaka Premier League for the upcoming season. "After coming to South Africa, I heard that some of the Under-19 players didn't get a DPL team. I took it upon myself to find them clubs. I want them to do well in club cricket, and earn some money too," Mahmud told Jago News.

After the high of Potechefstroom, there was also the low of Rawalpindi, where the senior team went down to Pakistan by an innings. After the game, Test captain Mominul Haque was congratulated several times during the press conference, and he said that they could learn a thing or two from their juniors.

"If you want to learn something, you can learn from your juniors and from everywhere," he said. "They can give us some information on how to do a good result. They did really well in the Under-19 World Cup. I have to congratulate them."