Bangladesh Cricket Board Unveils Honours Board to Mark 25 Years of Test Status

Bangladesh Cricket Board Commemorates 25 Years of Test Status with Honours Board Unveiling

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) marked the silver jubilee of achieving Test status with a special event at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, highlighted by the unveiling of an Honours Board on June 26, 2000.

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

Bangladesh played its first Test match against India on November 10, 2000, a watershed moment for cricket in the nation.

In addition to the Honours Board, a commemorative cabinet was installed, showcasing the trophies won by Bangladeshi players.

The Test Honours Board features the names of all Bangladesh Test cricketers, from Akram Khan and Habibul Bashar Suman to Mashrafe Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal, and Shakib Al Hasan, as well as current players such as Nayeem Hasan and Nahid Rana.

Youth and Sports Advisor Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan inaugurated the Honours Board. The ceremony reunited many players from Bangladesh's inaugural Test against India in 2000. However, Naimur Rahman Durjoy, Akram Khan, Khaled Mashud Pilot, Manjurul Islam, and Al Shahriar Rokon were unable to attend.

The reunion was part of a week-long celebration of the 25th anniversary of Bangladesh's Test status.

Various events are being held nationwide to celebrate this significant achievement, including an Under-12 six-a-side tournament in divisional cities and a pacer and spinner hunt.

The BCB hosted a reunion to celebrate the foundation of Bangladesh's red-ball journey. Aminul Islam Bulbul, the country's first Test centurion and current BCB president, led the ceremony, which also included coaching staff who participated in the historic game.

Bulbul said the celebration aimed to commemorate 25 years of Test cricket and to revitalize cricket in various regions of the country.

Habibul Bashar recalled his late call-up to the team. "I wasn't supposed to play... I was just happy to tell myself that I'm going to be a Test cricketer," he said.