Let’s Take a Closer Look at Cricket in Bangladesh

If there is one thing that can bring Bangladeshis together it is a cricket match. When people think of a cricket mad country, they will most likely think of India, but to say that Bangladesh is any less cricket-mad than India would be a huge understatement. Before the start of a home series, it is not rare to see queues outside the ticket offices that stretch miles two or three days before the tickets go on sale. If that cannot be classified as cricketing mad, then we are not sure what can be.

The Bangladesh Cricket Team

It is fair to say that the Bangladesh cricket team has never been the best team in the world, but what they lack in skill, they make up for in passion. Between the years 2000 and 2002, the Bangladesh Test cricket team lost 21 tests in a row, which is a record. They also hold the record for the most ODI defeats in a row, thanks to the 23 that they lost between the year 2001 and 2004. However, despite their poor record over the years, they are always fully supported by their fans, which is always great to see.

Bangladesh might not have been very successful down the years, but they have a habit of creating some very good players. For example, Tamim Iqbal has 4405 Test runs, 7202 ODI runs, and 1701 T20I runs for his country, making him arguably the best batsman to have played for the Tigers. In Shakib Al Hassan, they have one of the best all-rounders in the world as he has scored 3862 Test runs, 6323 ODI runs, and 1567 T20I runs and has taken 210 Test wickets, 260 ODI wickets, and 92 T20I wickets. The current wicket-keeper, Mushfiqur Rahim, is not too bad either, as he has scored 4413 Test runs, 6174 ODI runs, and 1282 T20I runs.

When it comes to their best bowlers, there is the likes of Taijul Islam, who has picked up 114 wickets for his country in just 24 matches. There is also Mohammad Rafique, who has collected 100 test wickets and 119 ODI wickets. However, it is fair to say that batting has always been their strongest point. When they play, they like to bat first and try to put a big total on the score so that the opposition have scoreboard pressure to comply with as well as their bowlers.

Bangladesh Cricket Fans Love More Than Just Watching Cricket

Bangladesh cricket fans love watching their team in actions and will cheer their players on no matter what the match situation is. They could be losing heavily, and you will still see the Bangladesh cricket fans jumping up and down in the stands, cheering their side on. Apart from watching cricket, they also love to bet on it. Gambling, for the most part, just like it is in India, is largely banned, but Bangladeshis are able to sign up with online sportsbooks that are not situated within Bangladesh. To add to this, there are always underground betting syndicates that Bangladeshi cricket fans can use to place bets. These are illegal, but the government have plenty of other issues to deal with, so largely ignore these.

Matches Against India

Bangladesh and India have a fierce rivalry due to the fact they are neighbours, but it is fair to say that the Indian cricket team has had the upper hand over the years. The two teams have faced each other 11 times in test cricket, and India have won 9 of them, with the other 2 being drawn matches. In test cricket, Bangladesh have had the most success against Zimbabwe, having won 7 tests against them.

When it comes to the ODI format, they have played each other 36 times, and Bangladesh have won 5 of those games. Once again, in the ODI format, they have had most success against Zimbabwe, having won 47 of their 75 matches. They also have a pretty good record against Ireland, winning 70% of their games. The team that they struggle the most against is Australia as they have played 21 times and have only won once.

What about the T20I format? Well, they have faced India 11 times and have won just the once, although they have run them close on a few other occasions. Once again, they have had a lot of success against Zimbabwe in this format, having won 9 of their 13 matches.

Bangladeshi Player Records

• On the 12th January 2015, Shakib Al Hasan became the first player ever to be ranked number one in all three formats of the game
• Shakib Al Hasan, became just the third cricketer after Imran Khan (Pakistan) and Ian Botham (England) to collect ten wickets and score a century in a match
• On the 1st December 2014, Taijul Islam took a hattrick on debut against Zimbabwe, making him the first bowler to do so
• On the 21st November 2012, Abul Hasan came into bat at number 10 on debut against the West Indies and went on to become just the second test cricketer to score a century while batting at number 10 in their first Test match
• Enamul Haque Jr., in 2005, took 10 wickets against Zimbabwe to become the youngest bowler to take 10 wickets in a test - he was 18 years and 40 days

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh_national_cricket_team