The history of cricket in Bangladesh predates the foundation of the Bangladeshi state in 1971 by nearly two centuries. Cricket was introduced to
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
by the British in the eighteenth century but its growth in
East Bengal
ur,
, common_name = East Bengal
, status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan
, p1 = Bengal Presidency
, flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg
, s1 = East ...
was slow. Following
Partition and the creation of
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Myanmar, wi ...
, both
first-class and
Test cricket
Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last f ...
were played there during the 1950s and 1960s. Although cricket continued to be popular after independence, especially in Dhaka, the country lost first-class status and had to establish itself in international competition as an Associate Member of the
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are 108 national associations, with 12 Full Members and 96 Associate Members. Founded in 1909 as the ' ...
(ICC).
After winning the
1997 ICC Trophy
The Carlsberg 1997 ICC Trophy was a cricket tournament played in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia between 24 March and 13 April 1997. It was the Cricket World Cup qualification tournament for the 1999 Cricket World Cup.
Bangladesh were the winners of the t ...
and making a good showing at the
1999 Cricket World Cup, Bangladesh created its
National Cricket League (NCL) in 1999–2000 to prepare the way for full membership of the ICC. This was granted in 2000 and the
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was formally established. In November 2000, the
Bangladesh national team played its inaugural Test match against
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
at the
Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka.
Bengal
Cricket was first introduced into
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
by the British
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...
in the eighteenth century and the first cricket matches recorded were in
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
in 1792, but matches were possibly played more than a decade earlier and the sport quickly achieved popularity in western Bengal and neighbouring
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...
. In eastern Bengal, the area which is now Bangladesh, cricket developed very slowly as the area failed to attract large numbers of European settlers until the second half of the nineteenth century. The problems were the region's predominantly rural character and its lack of infrastructure given that it had numerous rivers and travel was extremely difficult. The confluence of the
Ganges
The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
and the
Brahmaputra
The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, northeast India, and Bangladesh. It is also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachali, Luit in Assamese, and Jamuna River in Bangla. I ...
is in central Bangladesh and the coastal area consists of the
Sundarbans
Sundarbans (pronounced ) is a mangrove area in the delta formed by the confluence of the Padma, Brahmaputra and Meghna Rivers in the Bay of Bengal. It spans the area from the Baleswar River in Bangladesh's division of Khulna to the Hooghly R ...
mangrove forest and the Ganges Delta. The British saw it as a remote region with few economic incentives. Improvement was gradual and it was not until the 1860s and 1870s that the British built the new roads that facilitated communication. Work was done to improve water supplies, with a consequent boost to public health, and Europeans began to settle in
Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city i ...
with cricket soon becoming one of their favourite recreational activities, as had happened elsewhere in India. In 1876, a European XI met and defeated a Native XVIII in Dhaka.
[Roy Morgan, ''Encyclopaedia of World Cricket'', SportsBooks Limited (2007), p.31.]
A team representative of
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
played against
G. F. Vernon's XI, the first English team to visit the Indian sub-continent, in 1889–90. In January 1923, Bengal took part in the Nagpur Provincial Tournament with
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...
and a Central Provinces XI. In 1934, the
Board of Control for Cricket in India
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the national governing body for cricket in India. Its headquarters are situated at Cricket centre, Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The BCCI is the richest governing body of cricket in the world ...
organised the
Ranji Trophy but Bengal did not take part in 1934–35. Bengal achieved first-class status in December 1935 when they played the
Australian tourists and were defeated by 9 wickets. In January 1936, Bengal joined the Ranji Trophy, playing in the East Zone, and reached the semi-final where they lost to
Madras. In 1937, Bengal were runners-up and, in 1939, winners of the Ranji Trophy. Throughout this period, Bengal was essentially a
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...
team. They were based in
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
and played all their matches at
Eden Gardens. The earliest match of note in Dhaka was in February 1941 when a Bengal Governor's XI played the Bengal Gymkhana at the
Bangabandhu National Stadium, then called the Dacca Stadium.
With the
Partition of British India
The Partition of British India in 1947 was the change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: India and Pakistan. T ...
in 1947,
Bengal itself was partitioned with West Bengal remaining an Indian province and
East Bengal
ur,
, common_name = East Bengal
, status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan
, p1 = Bengal Presidency
, flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg
, s1 = East ...
becoming the eastern wing of
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
. In 1955, the western wing became
West Pakistan
West Pakistan ( ur, , translit=Mag̱ẖribī Pākistān, ; bn, পশ্চিম পাকিস্তান, translit=Pôścim Pakistan) was one of the two Provincial exclaves created during the One Unit Scheme in 1955 in Pakistan. It was ...
and East Bengal became the new province of
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Myanmar, wi ...
. The two wings were separated by some 1,600 km (1,000 miles) of Indian territory and, despite their common religion of Islam, the ethnic and linguistic gulf between the two, compounded by an apathetic government based in the west, eventually resulted in the independence of Bangladesh. While Pakistani cricket was strong in the west, there was no first-class cricket in East Bengal until the 1954–55 season.
East Pakistan
Between the 1954–55 and 1970–71 seasons, thirteen
East Pakistan first-class cricket teams
Between the 1954–55 and 1970–71 seasons, 13 first-class cricket teams from East Pakistan played in the Pakistan domestic cricket competitions, the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and the Ayub Trophy. With the creation of Bangladesh in 1971, this p ...
played in Pakistan's domestic cricket competitions, the
Quaid-i-Azam Trophy
The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket competition in Pakistan. With few exceptions, it has been staged annually since it was first played during the 1953–54 season. Domestic cricket in Pakistan has undergone many reorganis ...
and the
Ayub Trophy
The Patron's Trophy was a cricket competition that was held in Pakistan between 1960–61 and 2018–19 mainly among teams representing the government and semi-government departments, corporations, commercial organisations, business houses, banks, ...
. Many played in only a single season or two. The most prolific were
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Myanmar, wi ...
(nine seasons),
Dhaka University,
East Pakistan Greens and
East Pakistan Whites (three each).
Chittagong is a good example of the sporadic way in which teams from East Pakistan were involved in the national competitions as they were scheduled to play three matches between 1959–60 and 1965–66 and all were abandoned without play starting. The main East Pakistan team played first-class matches against the touring
Indians in 1954–55 and
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influence ...
in 1955–56.
East Pakistan staged Test cricket from January 1955 when a match between
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
and
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
was allocated to the
Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka. The stadium was used for numerous important matches including Tests through the 1960s. The
M. A. Aziz Stadium
The MA Aziz Stadium ( bn, এম এ আজিজ স্টেডিয়াম; also known as Chittagong Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Chittagong, Bangladesh. The local cricket and association football, football teams play there and ...
in Chittagong also dates back to 1954 as a first-class venue but it was not used for Tests until
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
played there in 2001.
Relations between East and West Pakistan had been tense since Partition. East Pakistan was plunged into turmoil on 12 November 1970 when
Cylone Bhola struck Bengal with enormous loss of life and devastating impact on the community and economy. The Pakistani government, based in West Pakistan, was roundly condemned for procrastination in its response to the crisis. A few weeks later, when the country's first
general election was held on 7 December, widespread outrage in the East resulted in victory for the
Awami League which was a Bengali nationalist party under the leadership of
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ( bn, শেখ মুজিবুর রহমান; 17 March 1920 – 15 August 1975), often shortened as Sheikh Mujib or Mujib and widely known as Bangabandhu (meaning ''Friend of Bengal''), was a Bengali politi ...
. This led to an opening of talks between representatives of the East and West wings of Pakistan about the future of the country's constitution under a national government headed by the Awami League, and proposals for the division of power between the central government and the provinces. The talks were unsuccessful in breaking a deadlock and, on 1 March 1971, Pakistani President
Yahya Khan
General Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan , (Urdu: ; 4 February 1917 – 10 August 1980); commonly known as Yahya Khan, was a Pakistani military general who served as the third President of Pakistan and Chief Martial Law Administrator following his p ...
indefinitely postponed the pending National Assembly session, precipitating massive civil disobedience in East Pakistan. Three weeks later, Bangladesh formally declared its independence and the country was plunged into its
liberation war which raged through 1971 until intervention by India, in support of the Bangladeshis, on 3 December 1971. The
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until the
Pakistani capitulation in Dhaka on 16 Decem ...
was short-lived and resulted in Pakistan's capitulation on 16 December 1971, celebrated as
Victory Day
Victory Day is a commonly used name for public holidays in various countries, where it commemorates a nation's triumph over a hostile force in a war or the liberation of a country from hostile occupation. In many cases, multiple countries may ob ...
in Bangladesh, which was then established as a new nation.
The last first-class match to be completed in East Pakistan was between a Pakistan Cricket Board XI and the
touring International XI in Dhaka from 26 February to 1 March 1971. It was drawn and its final day coincided with Yahya Khan's suspension of the National Assembly, the action which finally triggered the liberation war. The International XI left Dhaka next day for
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
and played one further match there to end their tour. Two Quaid-i-Azam Trophy matches scheduled to be played in Dhaka during March were both cancelled because of the national emergency.
1972 to 1977
After independence, the new state endured poverty, famine, political turmoil and
military coups until the
restoration of democracy in 1991 which has been followed by relative calm and economic progress. Cricket had to find its way forward amid the turmoil but it was helped by successive governments, civil and military, which treated its development with some importance. In 1972, the government created the
Bangladesh Cricket Board, then called the Bangladesh Cricket Control Board, with a directive to organise cricket in the new country. In the aftermath of the war, this was no easy task. ''Barclays World of Cricket'' records that, in early 1975, the national stadium in Dhaka was "in such disrepair (some buildings being shell-torn) that the cricket square had sunk several inches after years of disuse".
The problems of post-war recovery apart, cricket was popular in
Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city i ...
and the first organised competition of note was the club-level Dhaka Metropolis Knockout Tournament staged in February and March 1973. A national club championship began in 1974–75 and has been held in most seasons to 2015. This gained sponsorship by the
Wills tobacco company from 1983 to 1984, then by
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961.
History
Pepsi wa ...
from 1993 to 1994, but it has never been a first-class competition. It has similar status to
league cricket in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
or
grade cricket
Grade cricket, also known as Premier Cricket is the name of the senior inter-club or district cricket competitions in each of the Australian states and territories. The term may refer to:
*Victorian Premier Cricket
* NSW Premier Cricket
* Queens ...
in
Australia.
The worst of the problems had been addressed by the start of the 1976–77 season. In January 1977, the inaugural
Bangladesh national cricket team
The Bangladesh men's national cricket team ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয় ক্রিকেট দল), popularly known as The Tigers, is administered by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). It is a Full Member of the Inte ...
was selected for a match against the touring
MCC at the
Bangabandhu National Stadium. MCC also played against
North Zone,
East Zone
The East Zone cricket team is a first-class cricket team that represents eastern India in the Duleep Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Inter Zonal. It is a composite team of five first-class Indian teams from eastern India competing in the Ranj ...
and
South Zone which was the first time that any of these teams, now in the
Bangladesh Cricket League, were selected. Although the MCC team included some notable
county cricket players such as
Mick Norman,
John Barclay,
Dan Piachaud and
Nigel Popplewell, their matches on the 1976–77 tour were not first-class. Even so, Bangladesh made a favourable impression on MCC and it was in 1977 that the country became an
Associate Member of the
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are 108 national associations, with 12 Full Members and 96 Associate Members. Founded in 1909 as the ' ...
(ICC).
1978 to 1986
The
first full international team to visit Bangladesh was
Sri Lanka in January 1978. Sri Lanka was then close to
ICC Full Member status (achieved in 1982) and their higher standard was underlined by a series of innings victories in the three international matches against Bangladesh. The three-day match in Dhaka starting on 13 January 1978, which Sri Lanka won by an innings and 9 runs, was Bangladesh's debut in international cricket but the very low standard of Bangladeshi cricket at the time means that it was not a first-class match.
Sri Lanka also played against a BCB President's XI, South Zone and
Central Zone
The Central Indo-Aryan languages or Hindi languages are a group of related language varieties Spoken across North India and Central India. These language varieties form the central part of the Indo-Aryan language family, itself a part of the ...
, the first time that this team was selected. In early February, the first Indian team to visit Bangladesh was the
Hyderabad Blues who played a single game in Dhaka against the national team. MCC returned in December 1978 and played six matches at various locations, five of them against the national team. None of the 1978 matches were first-class.
Bangladesh made their competitive international debut when taking part in the
1979 ICC Trophy
The 1979 ICC Trophy was a limited overs cricket tournament held in England between 22 May and 21 June 1979. It was the inaugural ICC Trophy tournament to be staged, with matches between the 15 participating teams played over 60 overs a side and w ...
, held in England between 22 May and 21 June, but failed to reach the semi-final stage. Captained by
Raqibul Hasan, Bangladesh were in Group B (there were three qualifying groups of five teams each) against
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
,
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
,
Fiji and
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
. Bangladesh struggled in their opening match against Fiji but were rescued by
Ashraful Haque
Syed Ashraful Haq is a former Bangladeshi cricketer. He was the architect of Bangladesh's first ever ICC Trophy victory, over Fiji in May 1979. His 7/23 from 9.2 overs completely destroyed the Fiji middle order, leading Bangladesh to a 22 r ...
who took 7–23 to secure a 22-run victory. In the second match, Bangladesh were well beaten by Canada. They won convincingly against Malaysia and so needed to defeat Denmark in the last match to qualify for the semi-finals. It was a close game but Denmark won by ten runs. Denmark won the group with Canada second and both of these two qualified for the semi-finals, Bangladesh being placed third. Sri Lanka then defeated Denmark and Canada in turn to win the tournament.
In the 1979–80 season,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
visited Bangladesh for the first time. It was eight years after the end of the Liberation War but tensions were still evident. The visit was in January during a break in
Pakistan's six-Test tour of India. In a two-day match on 2 & 3 January, the Pakistanis played a BCB XI at the M. A. Aziz Stadium in Chittagong. The BCB XI played well though each of the first three innings were ended early by sporting declarations. At tea on the second day, with the BCB XI struggling to chase a target of 211, there was a crowd riot which prematurely terminated the game as a draw. Because of the riot, an international match due to start at the National Stadium two days later was cancelled. It was not until January 1994 that the Pakistan national team could safely tour Bangladesh. In March 1980, an inter-divisional tournament was staged which included teams from the Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna and Rajshahi divisions. It was the first time that divisional teams were selected and this tournament anticipated the National Cricket League which was launched twenty years later. Fortunately, the riot in 1980 did not deter other tourists and MCC returned to Bangladesh in 1980–81, followed by the
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
and Hyderabad clubs from India in 1981–82.
In the
1982 ICC Trophy
The 1982 ICC Trophy was a limited-overs cricket tournament held in England between 16 June and 10 July 1982. It was the second ICC Trophy tournament to be staged, with matches between the 16 participating teams played over 60 overs a side and wi ...
, also held in England, Bangladesh reached the semi-finals and lost to the eventual winners,
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...
. This time, there were sixteen teams divided into two groups of eight. Bangladesh were in Group B. Two of their seven matches were abandoned because of bad weather and they had two very narrow wins against Malaysia, by a single run, and
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, by four runs. They had only one defeat and so finished second. The defeat was against group winners
Bermuda
)
, anthem = "God Save the King"
, song_type = National song
, song = "Hail to Bermuda"
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, mapsize2 =
, map_caption2 =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name =
, es ...
and it was a heavy one, again exposing Bangladesh's limitations at this stage of their development. Bangladesh were bowled out for only 67 and Bermuda needed just 15.5 overs to win by seven wickets. The limitations were again exposed in the semi-final when Bangladesh's batsmen could only reach 124, Zimbabwe winning easily by eight wickets. Zimbabwe defeated Bermuda in the final and there was another setback for Bangladesh when they lost the third-place playoff match to
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
by three wickets despite an innings of 115 by
Yousuf Rahman
Yousuf Rahman (more commonly known as Yousuf Babu) was a Bangladeshi cricketer, who played regularly for the national side from 1976-77 until his retirement in 1983–84. He top scored with 78 against the MCC at Dhaka in January 1977. He was the f ...
.
In 1983–84, Bangladesh hosted a tournament for the first time. This was the South East Asian Tournament (limited overs) in which the national team played against
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
,
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
and a BCB under-25 XI. Bangladesh defeated Hong Kong by 3 wickets in the final to claim the country's first international trophy.
The first New Zealand team to visit Bangladesh arrived in 1984–85. This was the New Zealand Ambassadors who played two limited overs matches in January against Dhaka University and a BCB Under-25 XI. In March, Sri Lanka returned to play a single three-day match against Bangladesh, captained by
Gazi Ashraf
Gazi Ashraf Hossain ( bn, গাজী আশরাফ হোসেন; born 29 December 1960), also known as Lipu, is a former Bangladeshi cricketer who captained the Bangladesh national cricket team in its first seven One Day International (O ...
, in the National Stadium. Bangladesh did well to secure a draw after scoring 139 and 152 for 6 against Sri Lanka's 429 for 9 declared.
In the 1985–86 season, neighbouring
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
toured Bangladesh and played four matches against university and BCB teams in February and March. On the basis of their triumph in the South East Asian Tournament two years earlier, Bangladesh were invited to take part in the
1986 Asia Cup
The 1986 Asia Cup (also known as the John Player Gold Leaf Trophy), was the second Asia Cup tournament, and was held in Sri Lanka between March 30 and April 6. Three teams took part in the tournament: Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Asian leading associa ...
, the first edition of this tournament, in
Sri Lanka after
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
withdrew. On 31 March, Bangladesh played their first-ever
List A-classified
Limited Overs International against Pakistan at the
Tyronne Fernando Stadium
De Soysa Park Stadium (formerly known as Tyronne Fernando Stadium) is a multi-use stadium in Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. It is currently used mostly for cricket matches. The stadium holds 15,000 people and hosted its first Test match in 1992. The gr ...
in
Moratuwa. Captained by Gazi Ashraf, Bangladesh were dismissed for 94 and Pakistan won easily by seven wickets. Three days later, Bangladesh lost to Sri Lanka by the same margin.
Writing in 1986,
Robin Marlar
Robin Geoffrey Marlar (2 January 1931 – 30 September 2022) was an English cricketer and cricket journalist. He played for Cambridge University before playing for Sussex County Cricket Club from 1951 to 1968. He captained both teams.
Early li ...
expressed positive views about Bangladeshi cricket including his opinion that the country would, with more encouragement and experience, one day win the ICC Trophy. He also mentioned the large crowds attending matches and the potential for thousands more to play the game. In June and July, Bangladesh competed in the
1986 ICC Trophy, again held in England. As in 1982, there were two qualifying groups and Bangladesh were placed sixth in Group A after a disappointing campaign.
1987 to 1996
Bangladesh hosted the
1988 Asia Cup
The 1988 Asia Cup (also known as the Wills Asia Cup) was the third Asia Cup tournament, held in Bangladesh between 26 October and 4 November 1988. Four teams took part in the tournament: India national cricket team, India, Pakistan national cri ...
, competing against India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the first
List A classified matches to be played in the country. Bangladesh were the rank outsiders and, as expected, were easily beaten by each of their three opponents. Gazi Ashraf again captained the team. Five of the tournament's seven matches, including the final, were played at the Bangabandhu National Stadium and the other two, both involving Bangladesh themselves, at the M. A. Aziz Stadium in Chittagong. The tournament was won by India who defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets in the final.
There were visits by the Hyderabad Blues and Denmark in January and February 1990 to play limited overs games against the BCB XI and club sides only and none of the matches were List A classified. The
1990 ICC Trophy
The 1990 ICC Trophy was a limited-overs cricket tournament held in the Netherlands between 4 June and 23 June 1990. It was the fourth ICC Trophy tournament to be staged, and the first to be held outside England. It was also the first ICC Trophy co ...
in June was held in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and Bangladesh performed with credit, qualifying via two group phases for the semi-final where they were drawn against Zimbabwe and lost by 84 runs. Zimbabwe, who won the tournament, were elected to ICC Full Member status soon afterwards. Bangladesh played in the
1990–91 Asia Cup
The 1990–91 Asia Cup was the fourth Asia Cup tournament, and was held in India between 25 December 1990, and 4 January 1991. Three teams took part in the tournament: India, Sri Lanka and Asian leading associate member Bangladesh. Pakistan ...
in India but were well beaten in their two matches by Sri Lanka and the host nation.
In December 1992, Bangladesh hosted a
SAARC Quadrangular tournament in which their national team competed against the A-teams of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, all the matches being List A classified and all to be played in Dhaka at the National Stadium. Bangladesh defeated Sri Lanka A by seven wickets in the opening game but then lost by five wickets to Pakistan A. Their third match against India A was interrupted in the ninth over by a crowd riot and abandoned. It was rescheduled three days later but with the situation still volatile, it was cancelled along with the final which would have been India A v Pakistan A.
The situation was calmer the following season (1993–94) when there were short visits by Zimbabwe (November) and Pakistan (January) to play two limited overs matches each against the national team. Being friendlies, these games are not List A-classified. Zimbabwe won their matches by margins of 9 and 13 runs. Pakistan won their two games by 62 runs and 7 wickets. Although the national team were having limited success against opponents with greater experience, domestic cricket in Bangladesh was making progress and expanding. In 1994, the ICC estimated that there were 93,000 people playing cricket in Bangladesh and, as a result, playing standards were rising.
Bangladesh competed in the
1994 ICC Trophy
The 1994 ICC Trophy (formally the ABN AMRO ICC Trophy) was a cricket tournament that took place in Kenya between 12 February and 6 March 1994. It was the fifth ICC Trophy tournament to be staged, and acted as the Cricket World Cup qualification to ...
in
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
...
and reached the quarter-final stage and finished third in their group behind
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
...
and the Netherlands. In December 1994, Bangladesh hosted a second SAARC Quadrangular against the A-teams of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, all the matches being List A classified and all to be played in Dhaka at the National Stadium. The problems of 1992 were not repeated and Bangladesh reached the final where they lost to India A by 52 runs. Kenya, one of Bangladesh's main opponents in Associate Member cricket, visited in January 1995 to play five one-day matches. These were not List A classified and Bangladesh won all three of the international fixtures. England's A team visited Bangladesh in February 1995 and played three double innings matches, not first-class, all against the national team. England A won the first two and the third, in which
Aminul Islam scored a century, was drawn. Bangladesh were in the
1995 Asia Cup in
Sharjah
Sharjah (; ar, ٱلشَّارقَة ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, forming part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area.
Sharjah is the capital ...
against India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka but lost all three of their first round matches. MCC returned in February 1996 to play a mixture of one-day and three-day matches.
1997 to 2000
The SAARC Quadrangular returned to Bangladesh in February 1997, Pakistan A defeating India A in the final. Bangladesh fared badly and were well beaten in all of their three matches. Disappointing as that was, only two months later Bangladesh had their first international success when they won the
1997 ICC Trophy
The Carlsberg 1997 ICC Trophy was a cricket tournament played in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia between 24 March and 13 April 1997. It was the Cricket World Cup qualification tournament for the 1999 Cricket World Cup.
Bangladesh were the winners of the t ...
in
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
, pushpin_map_caption =
, coordinates =
, sub ...
.
Bangladesh won all five of their matches in the tournament's Group B to reach the quarter-finals, which were two more round-robin groups of four. Bangladesh qualified for the semi-finals defeating Netherlands and Hong Kong while the other game against
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
was abandoned because of bad weather. In the semi-final, Bangladesh defeated
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
by 72 runs. They were now playing in the final itself against Kenya and winning by two wickets, scoring the winning run from the last ball of the match.
The national team's debut in official
first-class cricket
First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officia ...
was 17–19 November 1997 at
Seddon Park
Seddon Park is a cricket ground in Hamilton, New Zealand. It is the fourth-largest cricket ground in the country, and is renowned for its "village green" setting, affording a picnic atmosphere for spectators.
History
Seddon Park was named aft ...
,
Hamilton, New Zealand, against a Northern Conference team. Bangladesh were guesting in the 1997–98 Shell Conference. They lost this match by an innings and 151 runs and were similarly outclassed in their other matches in the tournament. In January 1998, Bangladesh hosted the List A-classified Coca-Cola Silver Jubilee Independence Cup involving India and Pakistan. They lost both their matches and India defeated Pakistan in the final.
In 1998–99, Bangladesh hosted the
1998 ICC KnockOut Trophy (known as the Wills International Cup) during October and November, although it being for Test nations only they could not play themselves but providing neutral venue.
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
won the tournament. During November, the
West Indies A team visited and having played three List A matches against Bangladesh, starting on 12 November the two teams played the first-ever first-class match in Bangladesh (i.e., since independence). West Indies A won by 8 wickets.
Bangladesh v West Indies A 1998
/ref> The final of the 1998–99 Asian Test Championship
The first Asian Test Championship, organized by the Asian Cricket Council was held between 16 February and 16 March 1999. India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka competed in the tournament; Bangladesh could not compete because the ICC had not granted them ...
was played at Dhaka in March 1999, Pakistan winning by an innings and 175 runs against Sri Lanka. Later that month, Bangladesh hosted Kenya and Zimbabwe for the List A Meril International Tournament, won convincingly by Zimbabwe.
The Bangladesh team played in the Cricket World Cup for the first time, having qualified by winning the 1997 ICC Trophy, for the 1999 tournament in Great Britain. They did not get past the group stage but had a memorable victory by 62 runs over Pakistan. Their progress had received recognition and, on 26 June 2000, Bangladesh became a Full Member of the ICC, which enabled them to play Test cricket
Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last f ...
. The board officially changed its name to Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and its president Saber Chowdhury described his country's elevation to Test status as "the third most historic event in our national life". In May/June 2000, Bangladesh had hosted the 2000 Asia Cup
The 2000 Asia Cup (as called Pepsi Asia Cup) was the seventh edition of the Asia Cup for cricket, which was held in Bangladesh between 29 May – 7 June, 2000. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh took part in the tournament. Pakistan won ...
, won by Pakistan. In November of that year, Bangladesh played their first-ever Test match Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to:
* Test cricket
* Test match (indoor cricket)
* Test match (rugby union)
* Test match (rugby league)
* Test match (association football)
...
against India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
at the National Stadium, India winning by 9 wickets.
2001 to 2010
The country's main domestic competition, the National Cricket League (NCL), began in 1999–2000 with teams from each of Bangladesh's (then six) administrative divisions: Barisal
Barisal ( or ; bn, বরিশাল, ), officially known as Barishal, is a major city that lies on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh. It is the largest city and the administrative headquarter of both Barisal Di ...
, Chittagong, Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city i ...
, Khulna, Rajshahi
Rajshahi ( bn, রাজশাহী, ) is a metropolitan city and a major urban, commercial and educational centre of Bangladesh. It is also the administrative seat of the eponymous division and district. Located on the north bank of the P ...
and Sylhet.
In 2000–01, its second season, the NCL became a first-class competition, sponsored by the Green Delta insurance company, and won by Biman Bangladesh Airlines
Biman Bangladesh Airlines ( bn, বিমান বাংলাদেশ এয়ারলাইন্স) commonly known as Biman ( bn, বিমান), pronounced (), is the national flag carrier of Bangladesh. With its main hub at Hazr ...
. The 2000–01 NCL involved eight teams playing twelve matches each in two groups. Four teams qualified for a final stage in which they each played a further eight games. Group A consisted of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Chittagong, Rajshahi and Dhaka Division. Group B had Dhaka Metropolis, Khulna, Barisal and Sylhet.
In 2001–02, Ispahani Mirzapore Tea became the sponsor of the NCL in addition to the new One-Day League, introduced as the premier limited overs competition. The NCL was reduced to six teams in 2001–02 with Dhaka Metropolis and the champions, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, both dropping out. Following creation of Rangpur Division in January 2010 as the country's seventh administrative region, the NCL in 2011–12 was again expanded to eight teams with the introduction of the Rangpur team and the return of Dhaka Metropolis, although the latter had no settled home venue.
Between 2001 and 2004, Bangladesh suffered from heavy defeats in ODI's. They also suffered from 5 heavy defeats and 1 no results in 2003 Cricket World Cup
The 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup was the eighth Cricket World Cup, organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya from 9 February to 23 March 2003. This edition of the World Cup was the ...
.
2011 to 2019
The One-Day League was terminated after the 2010–11 season. The main List A limited overs competition since then is the Dhaka Premier Division, which began in 2013–14.
Bangladesh co-hosted the 2011 Cricket World Cup
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and for the first time in Bangladesh. India won the tournament, defeating Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in the final at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, ...
with India and Sri Lanka. The country was the sole host of the 2014 ICC World Twenty20
The 2014 ICC World Twenty20 was the fifth ICC World Twenty20 competition, an international Twenty20 cricket tournament, that took place in Bangladesh from 16 March to 6 April 2014. It was played in three cities — Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet. ...
, the final of which was played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
The Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (SBNCS; bn, শের-ই-বাংলা জাতীয় ক্রিকেট স্টেডিয়াম), also called Mirpur Stadium, is an International cricket ground in Mirpur, a few kilo ...
. In addition, Bangladesh has hosted, in succession, the three Asia Cup tournaments in 2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
, 2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
and 2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
.
Bangladesh also continued to do well in test cricket. They have beaten England and Sri Lanka in 2016–17 session. The win against Sri Lanka was the 100th test match and 9th winning test match for Bangladesh. A few months later they have beaten Australian test team in 1 match and drawn the series.
The Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL), another first-class competition, began in 2012–13. It is played by four teams selected on a zonal basis ( North Zone, South Zone, East Zone
The East Zone cricket team is a first-class cricket team that represents eastern India in the Duleep Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Inter Zonal. It is a composite team of five first-class Indian teams from eastern India competing in the Ranj ...
and Central Zone
The Central Indo-Aryan languages or Hindi languages are a group of related language varieties Spoken across North India and Central India. These language varieties form the central part of the Indo-Aryan language family, itself a part of the ...
) to give experience to leading players of a higher standard than the NCL and so prepare them for Test cricket. The winners of the four championships to 2016 have been Central Zone and South Zone winning two apiece. In April 2015, the BCL staged a One-Day League, which was won by East Zone.
The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is the country's main Twenty20
Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single inn ...
competition. It was founded in January 2012 and despite problems including match-fixing, it has been a commercial success, said by its promoters to be second only to the Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men's T20 franchise cricket league of India. It is annually contested by ten teams based out of seven Indian cities and three Indian states. The leagu ...
(IPL) in terms of global revenue.
2020 to present
Bangabandhu centenary
In 2020, to celebrate the birth centenary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ( bn, শেখ মুজিবুর রহমান; 17 March 1920 – 15 August 1975), often shortened as Sheikh Mujib or Mujib and widely known as Bangabandhu (meaning ''Friend of Bengal''), was a Bengali politi ...
, the BCB held a 50-over tournament named the BCB President's Cup with three teams, and a T20 tournament named the Bangabandhu T20 Cup with five.
See also
* Cricket in Bangladesh
Cricket is the most popular dry season sport in Bangladesh. It is played nationwide through the months of November to May. Governance of the sport is the responsibility of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), established in 1972.
Bangladesh is a ...
* Bangladesh national cricket team
The Bangladesh men's national cricket team ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয় ক্রিকেট দল), popularly known as The Tigers, is administered by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). It is a Full Member of the Inte ...
* Bangladesh national women's cricket team
* Bangladesh Cricket Board, the controlling body for cricket in Bangladesh
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
{{Cricketbycountry
*
Bangladeshi cricket in the 20th century
Bangladeshi cricket in the 21st century
Bangladeshi cricket tours abroad
International cricket tours of Bangladesh