All about the Bangladesh Cricket Team

The Bangladesh cricket team, affectionately known as The Tigers, are run by the Bangladesh Cricket Board. They were given Full Member ICC status on the 26th June, 2000.

This article will summarize their cricket history, the kits that they wear when playing, their current best players, whether they have had any success in international tournaments, how they have fared against other teams, and how the team is getting on at the moment.

The History of Bangladesh Cricket

bangladesh cricket teambangladesh cricket team

Cricket found its way to Bengal in the 18th century thanks to the British, but in East Bengal (the area we now call Bangladesh) it was slow to take off as the area didn't attract many European settlers due to the region's rural characteristics and the fact that a lack of infrastructure made it tricky to navigate the numerous rivers. The British did not see it as a place with economic positives, so any improvement made was gradual and it wasn't until the 1860s and 70s that they built roads to aid in transportation. Work was then carried out on the water supplies, decreasing the health risks. The British started to settle in Dhaka and cricket started to grow in popularity.

In 1889, the first English team to tour the Indian sub-continent played against a Bengal XI. Bengal didn't achieve first-class status until the end of 1935, when they play an Australian team and lost by 9 wickets. At the beginning of 1936, the Bengal team was included in the Ranji Trophy and managed to reach the semi-finals. They were runners-up in the 1937 version but managed to win the 1939 edition. At this time, it was practically a West Bengal team. The first match of note that took place in Dhaka was when the Bengal Governor's XI took on the Bengal Gymkhana in February 1941.

When British India was partitioned in 1947, Bengal was also partitioned with West Bengal staying as an Indian province and East Bengal becoming the East Pakistan. So, there was a West Pakistan and an East Pakistan that was separated by 1,000 miles of Indian territory and, although they both followed the religion of Islam, the linguistic and ethnic differences between the two resulted in East Pakistan gaining independence in 1971, and becoming what is now known as Bangladesh. For twenty years after they gained independence, Bangladesh endured famine, poverty, military coups, and political turmoil. Since 1991 there has been economic progress as well as relative calm. Cricket had to find a way forward somehow and it was helped by the governments as they treated the development of the game with importance. This was why they created the Bangladesh Cricket board in 1927 and tasked them with sorting cricket out in this new country. The locals enjoyed cricket and the first important competition was the Dhaka Metropolis Knockout Tournament that took place in February and March of 1973. A club championship was formed in 1974 and was held each year all the way to 2015.

In 1977, the very first Bangladesh cricket team was chosen to play a match against the touring MCC side. During this match, the Bangladesh team made a good impression and they became an Associate Member of the ICC the same year. In 1978, Sri Lanka became the first proper international team to tour Bangladesh. They played three three-day matches against each other, all of which Sri Lanka won by an innings. Due to the low standard of cricket in Bangladesh at the time, this was not classified as a first-class match.

Bangladesh played their first competitive international match in the ICC Trophy in 1979. This was held in England, but they failed to make it out of the group stage. Their first game was against Fiji, which they managed to win by 22 runs. They were then easily beaten by Canada and then they easily beat Malaysia. This meant that they needed to beat Denmark in their final match to make it to the semi-finals, but they ended up losing by 10 runs. They managed to reach the semi-finals in the 1982 edition, but they lost to eventual champions, Zimbabwe. The first List A matches in Bangladesh were played when they hosted the 1988 Asia Cup. They played against Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka and were easily beaten in every game.

Their first international success arrived in 1997 when they won the ICC Trophy by beating Kenya in a close final. By winning the 1997 ICC Trophy, Bangladesh qualified for the 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup in England. They were eliminated in the Group Stage, but they did manage to achieve a very good win over Pakistan . This helped the ICC to recognise their progress and they were rewarded Full Member status on the 26th June 2000. This enabled them to take part in test cricket.

They played their first test match against India in Dhaka on the 13th November, 2000. They went on to lose the match by 9 wickets. Although it sounds like it was a heavy defeat, Bangladesh actually gave a very good account of themselves. They then struggled in international cricket for a very long time. They went on a run of 21 consecutive test defeats that was only ended when a test match against Zimbabwe was rained off. When they won an ODI against Zimbabwe in 2004, it was their first international win since 1999. Bangladesh claimed their first test ever won in 2005 when they beat a very inexperienced Zimbabwe team in Chittagong. They then drew the second match, giving them their first series ever won.

"Since then, they have come on leaps and bounds on the international stage and can give many of the big teams a run for their money. Russel Domingo is the current head coach, while Mominul Haque is their test captain, Tamim Iqbal is their ODI captain, and Mahmudullah is their T20 captain."

What Colours Do the Bangladesh Cricket Team Wear?

Test Cricket

When they are playing test cricket, they have to wear 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 (Lifebuoy) can be seen on the right chest. When they are out in the field you will see them wearing a white sunhat or a dark green cap. The helmets that they wear when batting are also dark green. All headwear worn during test matches has the BCB logo in the centre.

ODI and T20 Cricket

When they are playing limited over cricket, the home kit consists of dark green trousers and a dark green t-shirt. "Bangladesh" is written in white with a red background across the middle of the t-shirt. Their away kit, on the other hand, consists of dark green trousers and a red t-shirt. "Bangladesh" is still written across the middle in white, but this time it is on a green background. The BCB logo is on the left chest, while the sponsor's logo is on the right chest. However, when the team is competing in ICC events, the sponsor's logo is moved to the right arm and the ICC logo is placed on the right chest.

Who Are Bangladesh’s Most Talented Cricket Players?

Bangladesh currently has a number of talented players playing for them. We will take a look at who they are now.

Shakib Al Hasan

Ask any cricket lover who Bangladesh's best player is, and they will tell you Shakib Al Hasan ten times out of ten. He is a fantastic all-rounder and in 2015 he became the first cricketer to be ranked as the best all-rounder in all formats of the game. At this moment in time, he is ranked number 1 in ODIs and number 2 in T20s and tests. At the 2019 World Cup, he became the first player to score over 600 runs and pick up 10 wickets at one World Cup.

So, let's take a look at his figures. In 58 test matches, he has scored 3,933 runs (5 centuries and 25 half-centuries) at an average of 39.33. He has picked up 215 wickets at an average of 31.06. This includes 18 5-wicket hauls and 2 10-wicket hauls. In 215 ODI matches, he has scored 6,600 runs (9 centuries and 49 half-centuries) at an average of 37.93. He has picked up 277 wickets at an average of 29.44. This includes 3 5-wicket hauls. In 92 T20 matches, he has scored 1,881 runs (a top score of 84) at an average of 23.22. He has picked up 117 wickets at an average of 19.34, which includes 1 5-wicket haul.

Tamim Iqbal

He is undoubtedly one of the most talented batsmen to have ever played for Bangladesh. At this moment in time, he is the only Bangladeshi cricketer to have scored at least one century in all three formats. He is also the highest runscorer ever for the Bangladesh national team.

In the 64 test matches that he has played, he has scored 4,788 runs (9 centuries and 31 half-centuries) at an average of 39.57. In the 219 ODI games that he has played, he has scored 7,666 runs (14 centuries and 51 half-centuries) at an average of 36.85. In the 78 T20 matches that he has played, he has scored 1,758 runs (1 century and 7 half-centuries) at an average of 24.08. He is only 34, so he should have at least another 3 or 4 years left in him to try and make those figures even more impressive.

Mushfiqur Rahim

He is a very talented wicket-keeper batsman that can bat anywhere in the top six if he is required. In 2018, in a test match against Zimbabwe, he became the only wicket-keeper to score two double hundreds. He faced 421 balls and was at the crease for just under 10 hours, which is a record in itself for a Bangladesh player.

In the 75 test matches that he has played, he has scored 4,696 runs (7 centuries and 23 half-centuries) at an average of 36.69. He has played 227 ODI matches and has scored 6,581 runs (8 centuries and 40 half-centuries) at an average of 37.18, and he has played 91 T20 matches and has scored 1,321 runs (top score of 72*) with an average of 19.71. He is 34, so he might only have a few years left in him to try and improve those figures. One thing is for sure, is that we need to appreciate his talent while he is still playing.

How The Tigers Have Performed in World Competitions

ICC Cricket World Cup

YearRoundPosition
1999 Group Stage 9/12
2003 Group Stage 13/14
2007 Super Eights 7/16
2011 Group Stage 9/14
2015 Quarter-final 7/14
2019 Group Stage 8/10

*They did not compete in the tournaments that occurred before 1999. This was either because they were not an ICC member or because they failed to qualify.

ICC T20 World Cup

YearRound Position
2007 Super 8s 8/12
2009 Group Stage 10/12
2010 Group Stage 10/12
2012 Group Stage 9/12
2014 Super 10 10/16
2016 Super 10 10/16

ICC Champions Trophy

Year RoundPosition
2000 Play-off Stage 10/11
2002 Group Stage 11/12
2004 Group Stage 11/12
2006 Qualifying Round 9/10
2017 Semi-final 4/8

*The above were the only tournaments that they qualified for or were eligible to play in. The ICC scrapped the Champions Trophy after the 2017 edition as they did not want two major ODI tournaments.

Asia Cup

Year Round Position
1986 First Round 3/3
1988 First Round 4/4
1990 First Round 3/3
1995 First Round 4/4
1997 First Round 4/4
2000 First Round 4/4
2004 Super 4 4/6
2008 Super 4 4/6
2010 First Round 4/4
2012 Runners-up 2/4
2014 First Round 5/5
2016 Runners-up 2/5
2018 Runners-up 2/6

How Have Bangladesh Fared Against Other Nations?

Test Performances

OpponentMatches PlayedWonLostDrawTiedWin %
Afghanistan1010000.00
Australia6150016.67
England10190010.00
India11090200.00
New Zealand150120300.00
Pakistan110100100.00
South Africa120100200.00
Sri Lanka22117044.54
West Indies184120222.22
Zimbabwe18870353.33

* These stats are correct from the 5thth November 2021.

ODI Performances

OpponentMatches PlayedWonLostTiedNo ResultWin %
Afghanistan8530062.50
Australia21119015.00
England214170019.05
India365300114.28
Ireland10720177.78
New Zealand3810280026.31
Pakistan375320013.51
South Africa214170019.05
Sri Lanka519400218.36
West Indies4118210246.15
Zimbabwe7850280064.10

* These stats are correct from the 5thth November 2021.

T20 Performances

OpponentMatches PlayedWonLosttiedNo ResultWin %
Afghanistan6240033.33
Australia10460040.00
England1010000.00
India111100009.09
Ireland5310175.00
New Zealand153120020.00
Pakistan122100016.67
South Africa7070000.00
Sri Lanka12480033.33
West Indies13570141.67
Zimbabwe161150068.75

* These stats are correct from the 5thth November 2021.

How Have the Bangladesh Cricket Team Been Faring Lately?

Bangladesh started the year with three ODI games against the West Indies, and they won the series 3-0. They then had a two-match test series and the West Indies won both matches. Next up there were three ODIS and three T20Is against New Zealand, and they lost both of the series 3-0.

After this, they lost 1-0 to Sri Lanka in a two-match test series and beat them 2-1 in a three-match ODI series. They they had a one off Test match against Zimbabwe, which they won easily. They then beat the same team 3-0 and 2-1 in an ODI and T20I series. Their next test was a 5-match T20I series against Australia, and they passed that with flying colours, getting themselves an impressive 4-1 series win. They they took on New Zealand in five T20Is and won the series 3-2.

They made it through to the Super 12s stage of the 2021 T20 World Cup, but lost all five of their matches to finish bottom of the table. They now have three T20 matches and two Tests against Pakistan to end the year.