The day November 10, 2020 marks Bangladesh’s 20 years in Test platform. Tigers played their maiden Test against India on November 10 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka in 2000. In next to no time, Bangladesh have completed their 20 years journey in Test cricket.
On this day in 2020, the cricketing world celebrated the entry of the newest member in the group of cricket playing nation elites. Bangladesh made a leap in the test arena with their first game against India. The vibe was enchanting in Dhaka; excitements were pounding in all Bangladeshi fans’ hearts. All country stood still on that day when Naimur Rahman walked towards the centre of Bangabandhu National Stadium for the toss. That moment will be cherished forever by Ganguly as well since it was his first time to lead his side in the international level.
On the first day of that test match, Aminul Islam shared the spotlight with Habibul Bashar and surpassed the wildest dreams of their cricket fans. Bangladesh scored 239 runs on that day by losing 6 wickets. The second day was simply Aminul Islam’s show. He played a master-stroke of 145 runs and became only the third in cricket history to clinch a ton in the debut match of a nation after Charles Bannerman and Dave Houghton. His sheer determination culminated his team on a cusp of 400 mark.
In reply, India put on 429 runs on board in reply. The match could have been ended as a draw if Bangladesh could have manage to bat well in the second innings. Tigers got all out by 91 runs and to set a mere target of 63 runs. India won the match by 9 wicket.
So it’s been 20 years since Tigers played their inaugural Test match. However, the question is how far have we come as a team in the most prestigious format of the game? As a Test playing nation, we are still far away from the group of elite Test playing nations.
As in 119 Test matches, Bangladesh lost 89 matches, drawn 16 and won only 11 matches. Tigers are still in process of establishing themselves in this format. We are not progressing by leaps and bounds and judging by the current state of the team in Test format, Tigers fanatics may still have to wait to see their team roaring in the Test arena against the big guns.
