Bangladesh Cricket Team - All You Need to Know

Bangladesh Cricket Team - History

Cricket arrived in Bengal in the 18th century owing to the British. Still, it was reluctant to take off in East Bengal (now known as Bangladesh) due to the region's rural qualities and a lack of infrastructure that made navigating the various rivers difficult.

Because the British did not regard it as a site with economic advantages, any progress was sluggish, and it wasn't until the 1860s and 1970s that roads were built to help with transit.

The first English team to travel the Indian subcontinent faced a Bengal XI in 1889. Bengal did not gain first-class rank until the end of 1935 when they lost by 9 wickets to an Australian side.

The Bengal team was featured in the Ranji Trophy at the start of 1936 and advanced to the semi-finals. They finished second in the 1937 edition but won the 1939 edition. It was basically a West Bengal team at the time.

The first notable match in Dhaka occurred in February 1941, when the Bengal Governor's XI faced the Bengal Gymkhana.

Bengal was partitioned when British India was partitioned in 1947, with West Bengal remaining an Indian territory and East Bengal becoming East Pakistan.

Bangladesh experienced hunger, poverty, military coups, and political unrest throughout the first twenty years after gaining independence.

Cricket had to find a route ahead, and governments aided it by emphasizing the importance of the game's growth. This is why, in 1927, they established the Bangladesh Cricket Board and charged them with establishing cricket in this new country.

The first Bangladesh cricket squad was selected in 1977 to play a match against the touring MCC side. The Bangladesh squad created a positive impression during this encounter, becoming an Associate Member of the ICC the following year.

Sri Lanka was the first international sevens squad to travel to Bangladesh in 1978. They faced each other in three three-day matches, which Sri Lanka won by an innings. This was not a first-class match because of the low quality of cricket in Bangladesh at the time.

Bangladesh's first competitive international match was in the 1979 ICC Trophy. This was held in England. However, they did not go past the group stage. Their first game was against Fiji, which they won by a score of 22 runs.

In the 1982 edition, they reached the semi-finals but were defeated by eventual champions Zimbabwe.

When Bangladesh hosted the 1988 Asia Cup, it hosted the first List A matches. They played Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka and were easily defeated in all three games.

Their first international win came in 1997 when they won the ICC Trophy in a tight final against Kenya.

Bangladesh qualified for the 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup in England by winning the 1997 ICC Trophy.

They were ousted in the Group Stage. However, they did win a close game against Pakistan. This aided the ICC in recognizing their development, and they were granted Full Member status on June 26th, 2000. This allowed them to participate in test cricket.

On November 13, 2000, they played their maiden test match against India in Dhaka. They eventually lost the match by 9 wickets. Despite what appears to be a crushing defeat, Bangladesh really performed admirably. They then struggled for a long time in international cricket.

They embarked on a run of 21 straight test defeats, which was only broken when a test against Zimbabwe was rained out. When they defeated Zimbabwe in an ODI in 2004, it was their first international victory since 1999. Bangladesh won their first test match in 2005, defeating an inexperienced Zimbabwe squad in Chittagong.

Since then, they've grown by leaps and bounds on the world scene and now can compete with many top teams. Russel Domingo is the current head coach, their test captain is Mominul Haque, their ODI captain is Tamim Iqbal, and their T20 captain is Mahmudullah.

Test Cricket

When playing test cricket, the Bangladesh Cricket team wears white trousers and a white t-shirt like all the other teams. The BCB logo can be seen on the left chest, while the sponsor's logo is on the right chest. They also wear a white sun hat or a dark green cap in the field. The color of the helmets they wear when batting is also dark green. Every headwear they wear during test matches has the BCB logo in the center.

ODI and T20 Cricket

When they play limited-over cricket, they wear dark green pants and a dark green t-shirt. "Bangladesh" is written in white across the center of the t-shirt, with a red backdrop. On the other hand, their away outfit consists of dark green pants and a crimson t-shirt. "Bangladesh" is still inscribed across the center in white, but on a green backdrop this time. The BCB emblem appears on the left chest, while the sponsor's logo appears on the right. However, when the team competes in ICC competitions, the sponsor's emblem is relocated to the right arm, and the ICC logo is placed on the right chest.

Shakib Al Hasan

Any cricket fan would tell you that Shakib Al Hasan is Bangladesh's top player 10 times out of ten. He is an excellent all-rounder, and in 2015 he became the first cricketer to be named the finest all-rounder across all game formats. Currently, he is rated first in ODIs and second in T20s and tests. He became the only player in World Cup history to score over 600 runs and take 10 wickets in the same tournament.

So, let's look at his numbers. He has scored 4,029 runs (5 centuries and 26 half-centuries) at an average of 39.50 in 59 test matches. He has 215 wickets at a strike rate of 31.30. There were 18 5-wicket hauls and two 10-wicket hauls. He has 6,755 runs (9 hundred and 50 half-centuries) at an average of 37.73 in 221 ODIs. He has 285 wickets at a strike rate of 29.47. This includes 3 five-wicket hauls. He has 1,908 runs (a high score of 84) at an average of 22.44 in 96 T20 matches. He has 119 wickets at an average of 22.44, including one 5-wicket haul.

*Stats are taken on 12 October 2022.

Tamim Iqbal

He is undoubtedly one of the most gifted batsmen who ever represented Bangladesh. He is now the only Bangladeshi cricketer who has hit at least one century in all three forms. He is also the top run-scorer in Bangladesh's national team history.

He has scored 5,082 runs (10 centuries and 31 half-centuries) at an average of 39.09 in 69 test matches. In 231 One-Day Internationals (ODIs), he has scored 8,074 runs (14 centuries and 55 half-centuries) at an average of 37.03. He has scored 1,758 runs (1 century and 7 half-centuries) at an average of 24.08 in 78 T20 matches.

*Stats are taken on 12 October 2022.

Mushfiqur Rahim

He is a highly gifted wicket-keeper batter who can bat anywhere in the top six if needed. In 2018, he became the only wicket-keeper to hit two double-hundreds in a test match against Zimbabwe. He faced 421 balls and remained at the crease for under 10 hours, a Bangladesh player record.

He has scored 5,235 runs (9 centuries and 25 half-centuries) at an average of 37.93 in 82 test matches. He has played 236 ODI matches, scoring 6,774 runs (8 hundred and 42 half-centuries) at an average of 36.81, and 102 T20 matches, scoring 1,500 runs (highest score of 72*) at an average of 19.48.

How has the Bangladesh Cricket Team performed recently?

Bangladesh began the year with three One-Day International (ODI) games against the West Indies, winning 3-0. The West Indies then won both matches in a two-match test series. Then came three ODIS and three T20Is against New Zealand, in which they lost both series 3-0.

Following that, they lost 1-0 in a two-match test series versus Sri Lanka and won 2-1 in a three-match ODI series. They had a one-off Test against Zimbabwe, which they handily won. The same side was later defeated 3-0 and 2-1 in ODI and T20I series. Their next challenge was a five-match T20I series against Australia, which they sailed through with a 4-1 series triumph. They defeated New Zealand in five Twenty20 Internationals, winning the series 3-2.

They advanced to the Super 12s stage of the 2021 T20 World Cup but lost all five of their matches to finish last. They have three T20 matches and two Tests against Pakistan to finish the year.