Cricket in Bangladesh

Cricket is a game which has a massive and passionate following in Bangladesh. There is a strong domestic league which on many occasions also saw Test players from many countries (Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, England) gracing the cricket fields of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has now joined the elite group of countries eligible to play Test cricket. The Bangladesh national cricket team goes by the nickname of the Tigers—after the Royal Bengal Tiger.

History

Main article: History of cricket in Bangladesh

Cricket has been played in India since the 18th century and it continued to be played in first Pakistan and then Bangladesh as these countries became politically independent.

Bangladesh had staged first-class and even Test cricket when it was part of Pakistan. The Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka was first used for Test cricket when Pakistan played India there in January 1955. It was used for numerous important matches, including Tests, right up to the declaration of independence in 1971. The MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong also dates back to 1954 as a first-class venue but it was not used for Tests until Bangladesh played there in 2001.

The beginning of Bangladesh's own first-class era (i.e., as an independent state) began when the national team played England A in Chittagong on 25–27 October 1999. The match was drawn.

On 10–13 November 2000, Bangladesh played its inaugural Test Match v India in the Bangabandhu National Stadium. India won by 9 wickets.

The 2000-01 season saw the beginning of first-class domestic competition in Bangladesh, although the country had already staged first-class matches against touring teams in the previous year. The Green Delta National Cricket League was constituted as the first-class championship and the Ispahani Mirzapore Tea One-Day League as the premier limited overs competition. In 2000-01, both titles were won by Biman Bangladesh Airlines.

The National Cricket League had in fact been inaugurated in the 1999-2000 season but was not then first-class. In 2000-01, eight teams played 12 matches each in two groups. Group A consisted of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Chittagong Division, Rajshahi Division and Dhaka Division. Group B had Dhaka Metropolis, Khulna Division, Barisal Division and Sylhet Division. Four teams qualified for a final stage in which they each played a further 8 games.

In 2001-02, Ispahani Mirzapore Tea became the sponsor of the National Cricket League in addition to the One-Day League.

Governing body

Main article: Bangladesh Cricket Board

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) (known then as the Bangladesh Cricket Control Board) was established in 1972. Bangladesh is a full member of the International Cricket Council and the Asian Cricket Council.

Competitions

Main articles: National Cricket League of Bangladesh, One-Day Cricket League of Bangladesh, and Bangladesh NCL (National Cricket League) Twenty20

The Bangladesh Cricket Control Board was established in 1972. Soon after, a cricket league commenced in Dhaka and Chittagong. A national level cricket tournament begun in the country in 1974-75. During this time the cricket league started at the district (regional) level. Other tournaments that were organised were aimed school, college, youth and university level.

The National Cricket League of Bangladesh is the domestic first class cricket competition in Bangladesh. The One-Day Cricket League of Bangladesh is the principal domestic limited overs cricket competition in Bangladesh.

In 2010 the Bangladesh NCL T20 was first started in 2010 which was a t20 tournament which bought lots of international players

Cricket grounds

Notable ODI & Test Venues are:

1. Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka
2. Osmani Cricket Stadium, Fatulla, Narayanganj
3. Bir Shrestha Shahid Ruhul Amin Stadium, Chittagong
4. Shaheed Chandu Stadium, Bogra
5. Bir Shrestha Shahid Matiur Rahman Stadium, Khulna

National team

Main article: Bangladesh national cricket team

The Bangladeshi cricket team, also known as "The Tigers", is the national cricket team of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status. It played its first Test match in 2000 (against India at Dhaka), becoming the tenth Test cricket playing nation.

They also take part in officially sanctioned ACC tournaments including the Asia Cup, Asian Test Championship, ACC Trophy and Asian Cricket Junior Tournaments.

Bangladesh NCL (National Cricket League) Twenty20(NCL T20) and Port City Cricket League (PCL) and supported by Bashundhara group with ATN Bangla as media partners, will see some of the finest Twenty20 players from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in action in this tournament.

This is the second edition of this tournament which attracted a huge response in Bangladesh last year. The league is being held here as the cricket grounds in Bangladesh are undergoing renovation for the ICC cricket World Cup matches to be held there next year.

See also

• Sport in Bangladesh

External links

• Bangla Cricket: The official cricket site for Bangladesh Cricket fans. Come here for latest information on Bangladesh Cricket, live discussion, breaking news and much more.
• Cricinfo-Bangladesh: Home of cricket on the internet. Cricinfo offers the most comprehensive live coverage of international and domestic cricket in Bangladesh as well as in other cricket playing nations.
• Tiger Cricket: The official web site of Bangladesh Cricket Control Board.
• CricBD: Cricket, Bangladesh and Beyond. Bangladesh cricket news, scorecards, player profiles, statistics, and discussion forums.

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