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), which was established in 1972.
Cricket in Bangladesh | |
---|---|
Country | Bangladesh |
Governing body | Bangladesh Cricket Board |
National team(s) | Men women Men Under-19 Women Under-19 |
Clubs | 7(BPL) |
National competitions | |
First Class Cricket |
Bangladesh is a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Asian Cricket Council. Full ICC membership was achieved in 2000 and the Bangladesh men's team played its inaugural Test match that year. The national team is known as the "Tigers" – after the Royal Bengal Tiger. The women's national team has played top-level international cricket since 2014.
Bangladesh has three nationwide domestic competitions. The most lucrative is the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), a Twenty20 tournament played in January and February which attracts international players from other countries. There are two first-class championships: the National Cricket League, played by teams representing the country's administrative divisions; and the Bangladesh Cricket League, played by zonal teams.
Cricket was introduced to Bengal by the British in the eighteenth century. Following Partition and the creation of East Pakistan, both first-class and Test cricket were played there during the 1950s and 1960s. The sport continued to be popular after independence, especially in Dhaka, but the country lost first-class status and had to establish itself in international competition as an Associate Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Progress was made in the 1990s. The Bangladesh men's team won the 1997 ICC Trophy and made a good showing at the 1999 Cricket World Cup. Beginning in 1994, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) in preparation for full membership of the ICC, began instituting multi-day matches in domestic tournaments starting with the 1993-94 National Cricket Championship (with the semi-finals and final being two-day matches each of a single innings per team 60 and 80 overs respectively) and then continuing again (after a return to the traditional one day formats in 1995 and 1996) for the 1997, 1998/99 and 1999 National Cricket Championships with teams playing multiple innings over 3 days for the semi-finals and 4 days for the final. Also only for the 1998/99 season of Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League the BCB introduced two-day matches of 80 overs per side. In the 1999–2000 season, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) in the final push for full membership, created the National Cricket League (NCL). In November 2000, Bangladesh played their inaugural Test match against India at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka. The NCL was granted first-class status ahead of the 2000–01 season.
The Bangladesh national cricket team, known as "The Tigers", is the national cricket team of Bangladesh. Bangladesh became a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2000 and played their first Test match that year against India in Dhaka, becoming the tenth Test cricket playing nation. They also take part in officially sanctioned ACC tournaments including the Asian Test Championship.
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Bangladesh has an active women's team which gained One Day International status after finishing 5th at the 2011 Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier. The women's team also claimed the silver medal at the 2010 Asian Games cricket tournament and won the 2018 Women's Asia Cup.
Soon after the establishment of the BCB, a cricket league commenced in Dhaka and Chittagong at district (regional) level. It became a national tournament in 1974–75. Other tournaments were organised at school, college, youth and university levels.
The National Cricket League was founded in the 1999–2000 season ahead of Bangladesh being promoted to full membership of the ICC. It became a first-class competition in 2000–01. It involves eight teams, seven representing administrative divisions and one from the Dhaka Metropolis. There are eight administrative divisions but Mymensingh is not represented. Since the 2015–16 season, the league has been split into two tiers with promotion and relegation. In the 2022–23 tournament, won by Rangpur Division, the structure was as follows: [1]
Team | Debut season | Stadium | Titles |
---|---|---|---|
Chittagong Division | 1999–2000 | Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium | 1 |
Dhaka Division | 1999–2000 | Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium | 6 |
Rangpur Division | 2011–12 | Rangpur Cricket Garden | 2 |
Sylhet Division | 1999–2000 | Sylhet International Cricket Stadium | 0 |
Team | Debut season | Stadium | Titles |
---|---|---|---|
Barisal Division | 1999–2000 | Barisal Divisional Stadium | 0 |
Dhaka Metropolis | 2011–12 | Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium | 0 |
Khulna Division | 1999–2000 | Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium | 7 |
Rajshahi Division | 1999–2000 | Rajshahi Divisional Stadium | 6 |
A team sponsored by Biman Bangladesh Airlines played in the 2000–01 season and won the NCL title. That was their only appearance. Since then, the most successful teams (see table above) have been Khulna, Rajshahi and Dhaka Division.
A second first-class tournament, the Bangladesh Cricket League, was launched in 2012. This has a similar concept to India's Duleep Trophy as the contestants are zonal teams: Central, South, East and North Zones. The most successful team has been South Zone with five league titles between 2014 and 2020. [2]
There have been numerous instances of batters scoring 1,000 first-class runs in a Bangladeshi season. The highest aggregate to date is 1,249 by Tushar Imran of Khulna in the 2016–17 season. His average was 89.21 runs per completed innings. Many bowlers have taken 50 wickets in a season and the highest aggregate to date is 68 by Abdur Razzak, also of Khulna, in the 2017–18 season. Razzak has been the country's leading wicket-taker in four seasons between 2014–15 and 2019–20.
In 2010, the NCL T20 was launched. This was a Twenty20 tournament which was dropped after its first and only season and was replaced by the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) in 2012. The BPL is a Twenty20 league with seven franchises based on the concept of the Indian Premier League and has attracted many international players. Rajshahi Rangers won the NCL T20. Comilla Victorians have been the most successful BPL team to date with three titles.
The National Cricket League One-Day tournament began in 2000–01 as Bangladesh's principal domestic limited overs cricket competition. It was terminated in 2011 and has since been superseded by the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, which gained List A status in 2013. Rajshahi Division were the most successful team in the NCL One-Day with three titles. In the Dhaka competition, Abahani Limited have won the title three times to 2022.
In March 2023, the BCB launched an annual first-class cricket competition for women named Bangladesh Women's Cricket League, with three teams competing. [3]
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![]() | This section needs to be updated.(November 2022) |
Updated: 7 February 2021 [4]
Listed in order of match first used for international match
Venue | City | Capacity | First Used | Tests | ODIs | T20Is |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bangabandhu National Stadium | Dhaka | 36,000 | 1955 | 17 [5] | 58 [6] | 0 |
M. A. Aziz Stadium | Chittagong | 30,000 | 1988 | 8 [7] | 10 [8] | 0 |
Shaheed Chandu Stadium | Bogra | 18,000 | 2006 | 1 [9] | 5 [10] | 0 |
Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium | Fatullah | 25,000 | 2006 | 2 [11] | 10 [12] | 4 [13] |
Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium | Khulna | 15,000 | 2006 | 3 [14] | 4 [15] | 5 [16] |
Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium | Dhaka | 26,000 | 2006 | 20 [17] | 113 [18] | 44 [19] |
Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium | Chittagong | 22,000 | 2006 | 20 [20] | 22 [21] | 20 [22] |
Sylhet International Cricket Stadium | Sylhet | 18,500 | 2014 | 3 [23] | 7 [24] | 13 [25] |
Cricket holds a significant position in the culture of Bangladesh. Matches are played before large audiences both at grounds and on TV and other media.
The Bangladesh men's national cricket team, popularly known as The Tigers, is administered by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). It is a Full Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with Test, One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) status.
Mohammad Ashraful is a Bangladeshi cricketer, who has represented the Bangladesh men's national team.
Shahriar Nafees Ahmed is a former Bangladeshi cricketer, who played all formats of the game, and was also a former T20I captain for Bangladesh. He made his One Day International (ODI) debut for Bangladesh in 2005 against England, and later the same year played his first Test.
Mushfiqur Rahim is a Bangladeshi cricketer and the former captain of the Bangladesh national cricket team. He is a right-handed middle-order batter and wicket-keeper in the national team.
The Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, also called Mirpur Stadium, is an International cricket ground at Mirpur, in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Located 10 kilometres from Mirpur city centre, the ground holds approximately 25,000 people and is named after the Bengali statesman A. K. Fazlul Huq, who was accorded the title Sher-e-Bangla.
The MA Aziz Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Chittagong, Bangladesh. The local cricket and football teams play there and it is sometimes used by the Bangladesh national football team. Its total capacity is 30,000. On a historical note, this stadium was used as headquarters during the war for independence in 1971. The stadium serves as the main football venue of Chittagong as main cricket venue of the port city has been shifted to the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. It is the home venue of Chittagong Abahani in Bangladesh Premier League (football). Since 2015, the stadium is hosting Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup, country’s only international club football tournament organised by Chittagong Abahani.
Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium is a cricket stadium located in Fatullah, Narayanganj in central Bangladesh. It has a capacity of around 25,000 people and field dimensions of 181m X 145 m.
Shakib Al Hasan is a Bangladeshi cricketer and politician. He is a former member of Parliament for Magura-1. He is known for his aggressive left-handed batting style in the middle order and controlled slow left-arm orthodox bowling. He is widely regarded as the greatest Bangladeshi sportsman and one of the greatest all-rounders of all time.
Tamim Iqbal Khan, more commonly known as Tamim Iqbal, is a Bangladeshi cricketer from Chittagong who was captain of the national team in ODI matches from 2020 to 2023. Considered among one of the greatest Bangladeshi batters, he is the first Bangladeshi to score a century in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in the 2016 edition, being 103* the highest score made by a Bangladeshi at any T20 World Cup tournament.
The history of cricket in Bangladesh predates the foundation of the Bangladeshi state in 1971 by nearly two centuries. Cricket was introduced to Bengal by the British in the eighteenth century but its growth in East Bengal was slow. Following Partition and the creation of East Pakistan, both first-class and Test cricket 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 (ICC).
Mohammad Mahmudullah, also known as Riyad, is a Bangladeshi former cricketer and former T20I captain. He plays for Dhaka Division and has represented national team in all formats. An all-rounder, he is a lower or middle-order batter as well as an off spin bowler. He has almost 10,000 runs and 150+ wickets. He is prominent for his ability to finish a close limited over game. He is the first Bangladeshi to score a World Cup hundred. Mahmudullah started his career as a bowler and then converted into a batsman who could bowl off-breaks.
Shuvagata Hom Chowdhury is a Bangladeshi cricketer, a right-handed batsman who represents Dhaka Division in first-class and list A cricket and Rajshahi Division in twenty20 matches. He made his One Day International (ODI) debut for Bangladesh in 2011 against Zimbabwe at Harare. He made his Test match debut against the West Indies in September 2014. He made his Twenty20 International debut for Bangladesh against Zimbabwe on 15 January 2016.
The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ প্রিমিয়ার লিগ; ISO: bānlādēś primiẏār lig) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league organised by the BPL Governing Council. The BPL is one of the three professional cricket leagues in Bangladesh. It is the 16th most attended premier league in the world. In winter, each team faces the other twice in the league stage. Following the conclusion of the regular season, the 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.
Soumya Sarkar is a Bangladeshi cricketer. He is a left-handed batter and a right arm medium-fast bowler who mainly plays as an opening batter. He is the only batter to hit 2 sixes in the first over in a T20 World Cup match and the second highest individual run-scorer for Bangladesh in an ODI innings. Sarkar plays for the Cumilla Warriors in the Bangladesh Premier League, Khulna Division in the National Cricket League, and Prime Bank Cricket Club in the Dhaka Premier Division.In Bangladesh Premier League draft, he has been drafted by Dhaka Dominators.He is the inventor of "Periscope Shot"
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Mustafizur Rahman is a Bangladeshi international cricketer. A left-arm medium fast bowler, he is recognized for his most prolific 'slower cutters' all over the world. Born on 6 September 1995, in Satkhira, Bangladesh, Mustafizur Rahman's career took off during the 2015 Bangladesh Premier League when he caught the attention of cricket pundits with his ability to bowl accurate cutters and slower deliveries, earning him the nickname "The Fizz." This talent quickly propelled him to international prominence. He plays for Chennai Super Kings in IPL and is a left-arm fast-medium bowler.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz is a Bangladeshi international cricketer who plays for the Bangladesh national team. A bowling-all-rounder, he is a right-handed batter and a right-arm off break bowler. On 11 February 2016, he was awarded 'Player of the Tournament' at the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup 2016, becoming the only Bangladeshi player to achieve this honor in an ICC Event. In November 2018, against the West Indies, he took the best match figures for a Bangladesh bowler in a Test match. In February 2021, he scored his maiden century in Tests against the West Indies. In the same series, he became the fastest bowler for Bangladesh, in terms of matches, to take 100 wickets in Test cricket, doing so in his 24th match. In May 2021, he was the No. 2 ODI bowler in ICC Rankings, becoming the third Bangladeshi bowler ever to hold that position; the other two being Shakib Al Hasan and Abdur Razzak.
Quazi Nurul Hasan Sohan is a Bangladeshi cricketer who represents Bangladesh in international stage in all formats. Sohan is well known in Bangladesh for his keeping skills and great flexibility. Sohan is a wicket-keeper batter and plays as a right-handed batter lower down the order. His main role is a hard-hitting finisher. He was born in Khulna, Bangladesh. In July 2022, he was named as the captain of the Twenty20 International (T20I) team for Bangladesh's tour of Zimbabwe.
The 2021 Bangladeshi cricket season is taking place from 20 January to 31 December 2021. A total of 29 international matches, including 4 Test, 9 One Day International and 16 Twenty20 International matches are scheduled to take place in Bangladesh in 2021. 72 first-class, 5 List A and 54 Twenty20 matches are also being held in this season. All the international matches will form part of the 2020–2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League, 2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship, 2021–2023 ICC World Test Championship and the preparation for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.