Bengal 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. Geographically, it is made up by the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta system, the largest such formation in the world; along with mountains in its north bordering the Himalayan states of Nepal and Bhutan and east bordering Burma.
The market-based economy of Bangladesh is the 42nd largest in the world in nominal terms, and 31st largest by purchasing power parity; it is classified among the Next Eleven emerging market middle income economies and a Frontier market. According to the IMF, Bangladesh's economy is the second fastest growing major economy of 2016, with a rate of 7.1%. Dhaka and Chittagong are the principal financial centers of the country, being home to the Dhaka Stock Exchange and the Chittagong Stock Exchange. The financial sector of Bangladesh is the second largest in the subcontinent.
Sheikh Hasina Wazed is a Bangladeshi politician serving as the 10th Prime Minister of Bangladesh, having held the office since January 2009. She is the longest serving prime minister in the history of Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh national cricket team, is administered by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). Bangladesh is a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with Test and One Day International (ODI) status. It played its first Test match in November 2000 against India in Dhaka, becoming the tenth Test-playing nation.
The ICC Champions Trophy was a one day international (ODI) cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC), second in importance only to the Cricket World Cup.
The Bangladesh National Football Team is the national team of Bangladesh controlled by the Bangladesh Football Federation. It is a member of the Asian Football Confederation, and became a member of FIFA in 1974 even though the Bangladesh Football Federation was first founded in 1972. Bangladesh was elected as a member of the AFC Executive Committee 1982–86 and 1998–02. The current Executive Committee was elected democratically, under an AFC approved constitution and direct supervision of FIFA & AFC, in April 2008.
Mohammad Mahmudullah Riyad, commonly known as Mahmudullah, is a Bangladeshi cricketer and the current Test and T20I vice-captain. He has played First-class and List A cricket for Dhaka Division and has represented Bangladesh in all forms of the game. An all-rounder, he is a lower or middle-order batsman as well as an off spin bowler. He is the first Bangladeshi to score a World Cup hundred.
South Asian Football Federation (SAFF), founded in 1997, is an association of the football playing nations in South Asia and is part of the larger Asian Football Confederation. Its founding members are Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Bhutan joined the federation in 2000 and Afghanistan in 2005. In February 2015, captain Haroon Amiri announced that Afghanistan had officially left the SAFF for the new Central Asian Football Association.
The India national under-23 football team represents India in international under-23 football and is controlled by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). Currently a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) the team can compete in three competitions: the Olympic Games, the AFC U-23 Championship, and the Asian Games.
The India national under-17 football team represents India in international football at the under-17 level. Controlled by the All India Football Federation, the governing body for football in India, the team is part of the Asian Football Confederation and the South Asian Football Federation.
Mohammad Siddikur Rahman is a Bangladeshi professional golfer who plays on the Asian Tour.
The Bangladesh women's national football team is the women's national association football team of Bangladesh controlled by the Bangladesh Football Federation under the supervision of the women's football committee. It is a member of the Asian Football Confederation and has yet to qualify for the World Cup or a AFC Women's Asian Cup finals.
The University of Dhaka is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university is ranked number one on the Bangladesh University Ranking 2017. Established in 1921 during the British Raj, it has made significant contributions to the modern history of Bangladesh. After the Partition of India, it became the focal point of progressive and democratic movements in Pakistan. Its students and teachers played a central role in the rise of Bengali nationalism and the independence of Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is a professional cricket league consisting seven teams representing the major cities in Bangladesh. The BPL is one of the three major professional cricket leagues in Bangladesh, and among the highest professional level of cricket league in the world. The BPL is generally organized from early December to first week of January, with each team playing 12 games in round-robin format during the regular season. Following the conclusion of the regular season, top four teams advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination game and two qualifier games culminating in the Championship game, between the winner of Qualifier 1 and Qualifier 2.
Sport in Bangladesh is a popular form of entertainment as well as an essential part of Bangladeshi culture. Cricket is the most popular sport in Bangladesh. Kabaddi is the national sport of Bangladesh. Bangladesh is one of the top 10 cricketing nation of the world and have regularly qualified for World cup since 1999, the Country achieved arguably their greatest heights in Cricket when they defeated three of top-rated teams in 2015 Cricket World Cup to qualify for the quarterfinals. In 2015, they white-washed Pakistan and clinched the series by 3-0 and in another major achievement they won a series against India by 2-1 and in the same year they stunned South Africa, by defeating them 2-1 in an ODI series and cemented their spot in Champions Trophy 2017. Traditional sports like Athletics, Swimming, Kabaddi, Boli Khela, Lathi Khela are mostly played in the rural areas while foreign sports like cricket, football, hockey, volleyball, handball, golf, badminton etc. are more popular among the urban folks. The National Sports Council (NSC) is the governing body to control all the sports federations and councils in the country and is responsible to the ministry of youth and sports. There are a total of 42 different sports federations affiliated with the NSC. Bangladesh Games is the largest domestic multi-sport tournament in the country where athletes and sports teams from all the districts participate.
The 2017 international cricket season was from May 2017 to September 2017. 13 Test matches, 52 One-day Internationals (ODIs), 12 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), and 31 Women's One Day Internationals (WODIs) were played during this period. The season started with India leading the Test cricket rankings, South Africa leading the ODI rankings, New Zealand leading the Twenty20 rankings, and Australia women leading the Women's rankings.
The Bangladesh women's national under-17 football team represents Bangladesh in international women's under-17 football in the AFC U-16 Women's Championship and the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. It is controlled by the Bangladesh Football Federation. They have qualified for the 2017 AFC U-16 Women's Championship in Thailand in September 2017. That is the 1st time, the team will play in the final round of this tournament after 2005 edition.
The Indian women's national under-17 football team represents India in international women's under-17 football. The team is controlled by the governing body for football in India, the All India Football Federation (AIFF). The team and federation is currently a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the regional South Asian Football Federation (SAFF).
The 2017 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier was an international women's cricket tournament that was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 7 to 21 February 2017. It was the final stage of the qualification process for the 2017 World Cup in England. The tournament was the fourth edition of the World Cup Qualifier, and the first to be held in Sri Lanka.
