Bangladesh Cricket Celebrates Silver Jubilee with Inaugural Test Honours Board

Bangladesh Celebrates 25 Years of Test Status with Honours Board

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) commemorated the silver jubilee of achieving Test status with the unveiling of an Honours Board at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. A special program was organized by the board to mark this significant milestone, achieved on June 26, 2000.

Bangladesh played its first Test match against India on November 10, 2000, marking the beginning of their journey in the longest format of the game.

The Honours Board at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. © BCB

Alongside the Honours Board, a commemorative cabinet was installed to showcase the trophies won by Bangladeshi players over the years.

The Test Honours Board, a first for the "Home of Cricket," features the names of all Bangladesh Test cricketers, from Akram Khan and Habibul Bashar Suman to Mashrafe Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal, and Shakib Al Hasan. Current players such as Nayeem Hasan and Nahid Rana are also included.

Youth and Sports Advisor Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan inaugurated the Honours Board. The event served as a reunion for many players who participated in Bangladesh's inaugural Test against India in 2000. However, five members of that squad – captain Naimur Rahman Durjoy, Akram Khan, Khaled Mashud Pilot, Manjurul Islam, and Al Shahriar Rokon – were unable to attend due to personal commitments.

The reunion was part of a week-long celebration of the country's 25 years as a Test-playing nation. Various events are being held across the country to mark this achievement, including an Under-12 six-a-side tournament in divisional cities and a talent hunt for pacers and spinners.

The BCB hosted a reunion to celebrate 25 years since gaining Test status by attempting to bring all the men who laid the foundation of Bangladesh's red-ball journey. The ceremony, led by the country's first Test centurion and current BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul, also brought together members of the coaching staff who featured in the historic game.

"The first reason is to celebrate 25 years of Test cricket, while the other reason is to give a wake-up call as cricket seemed to have been in hibernation mode in many places of the country," said Bulbul.

Habibul Bashar recalled the excitement of being called up for the inaugural Test. "I wasn't supposed to play. Aminul bhai called Shovon bhai to pass the message – we didn't have phones then. I was just happy to tell myself that I'm going to be a Test cricketer," he said.