The Bangladesh national Cricket Team is no more a weak team to compete against. The cricketing evolution in Bangladesh has been exemplary. In the last decade, Bangladesh cricket has grown by leaps and bounds. The Bengal Tigers even won the recently concluded under-19 cricket World Cup. The nation has nurtured some amazing talents, and the future looks anything but grim.
A cricket-mad country, the Bangladesh team have never been short of support. The cricket stadiums in Bangladesh have always been power-packed, which makes it even more satisfying to watch the game.
Cricket stadiums in Bangladesh:
There are more than ten national and international cricket grounds in Bangladesh. The names are –
- Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka
- Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah
- MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong
- Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogra
- Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in Khulna
- Sheikh Kamal International Cricket Stadium in Cox’s Bazar
- Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur
- Sylhet District Stadium Sylhet
- Sylhet International Cricket Stadium in Sylhet
- Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong
Among all of these, here are the top 5 cricket stadiums in Bangladesh.
1. Shere Bangla Stadium
It is the best stadium in Bangladesh. Shere Bangla Stadium was undeniably built in 2006. It has a seating capacity for 25,000 spectators. The venue conducts most of the matches played in the country and has witnessed some of the most gripping games in world of cricket.
The 1st test match played at Shere Bangla Cricket Stadium in was held in 2007 between India and Bangladesh. India won that game by 239 runs. The 1st ODI played here was between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in 2006. The ground is famous for its proper drainage system; which is also considered to be the best among the other subcontinent county’s stadiums.
2. Bangabandhu National Stadium
Having a seating capacity of 36,000 people, Bangabandhu is the oldest cricket stadium in Bangladesh. The stadium is the only one in the world to have organized the inaugural home fixture for 2 Test nations.
Pakistan and India played the 1st test match at this ground in the year 1955, while the 1st ODI took place in 1988 between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In 1944-55, Bangladesh became the 10th nation to claim test status, with the Bangabandhu Cricket Stadium hosting the first test in the country. So far, as many as 17 test matches and 58 ODIs have been played at this ground.
3. Sylhet International Cricket Stadium
One of Bangladesh’s newly built cricket stadiums, Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, is definitely one of the stadiums to watch out for. The stadium boasts a seating capacity of 13,533.
Sylhet International Cricket Stadium has hosted only one test match so far. Zimbabwe and Bangladesh played the only test played here. Especially, Zimbabwe won that match by a huge margin of 151 runs.
The 1st ODI at this ground was played between West Indies Bangladesh in 2018. Shai Hope has the record for scoring the 1st 100 at this ground, while Liton Das is the first Bangladeshi to score a ton.
4. Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium
The home ground of Khulna Division is Sheikh Abu Naser Cricket Stadium in Bangladesh. It is one of the most picturesque venues for watching cricket. Established to host 2004 under-19 world cup matches, Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium got the ODI status in 2006.
The first test at this ground was played in 2012. West Indies was all over Bangladesh; as the former won that game by ten wickets. Bangladesh and Kenya played the first ODI hosted at this ground. Bangladesh, on this occasion, proved victorious, winning the game by nine wickets.
5. Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Cricket Stadium
Named after the former Bangladesh’s Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury stadium in Bangladesh hosted 2 matches of the World Cup 2011. It has a seating capacity of 20,000 spectators. The stadium has a beautiful view for watching the live games.
Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium attained test status in 2006. The 1st test match was played between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in 2006. The Lankans did not have to toil too hard as they won that game by eight wickets. The same teams participated in the 1st ODI played here. Batting Sri Lanka posted a total of 309 runs. In reply, Bangladesh could only make 231, resulting in a 78-run defeat.
Finishing lines:
All these stadiums are well-maintained by the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the Government of Bangladesh. However, all the cricket stadiums in Bangladesh can not conduct international cricket matches but can organise local, interstate, and Bangladesh Premier League matches.
