Curry craving

Whatever happens to the Bangladesh team in Monday’s match against Ireland, they have a treat to look forward to: Tuesday’s curry lunch. Not just any old curry lunch, but “home style” curry flown in by helicopter from the Bollywood Spice restaurant and wine bar in Warmley, near Bristol, to their team base in Trent Bridge. The menu, says restaurant manager Naz Abdul, includes including honey lamb chops and chicken ramo dhakana – house specialities if not typically Bangladeshi cuisine. Apparently the players wanted to spice up their diet after the two group games – “If we eat too much before the games it will be bad for us,” allrounder Shakib Al Hasan wisely noted – and fell back on a restaurant that is used to such requests. Last year it reportedly delivered food halfway round the world to Beijing for the Bangladeshi athletes at the Olympics, so a hundred-odd miles to Nottingham is child’s play. And if Bangladesh do win on Monday, the dessert will doubtless taste extra sweet.