| Bangladesh A cricket team | |
| Coach: | Jamie Siddons |
| Captain: | Saif Hassan |
| Founded: | 2001 |
| Owner: | Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) |
| First Fc: | Pakistan |
| First Fc Year: | 2002 |
| First Fc Venue: | BKSP, Savar |
The Bangladesh A cricket team, also known as Bangladesh Emerging cricket team, is a cricket team representing Bangladesh, and is the second tier of international Bangladeshi cricket below the full Bangladesh national cricket team. The team played its first game, against the full Pakistan side, in Savar in January 2002.[1]
Bangladesh A have toured regularly. On their first two tours they took part in domestic competitions in the host countries. Since then they have played most of their tour matches against the host countries’ A teams, except for their tours of England, when they have mostly played against county teams.
Between late January and early March 2002 Bangladesh A competed as the eighth team in the 2001-02 Busta Cup, the domestic first-class competition in the West Indies. Captained by the Test player Akram Khan, they played seven matches, winning one and losing five, and finished seventh.[2] The average age of the team was 22, and they struggled to adapt to the conditions. None of the team scored a century.[3] Mosaddek Hossain, who was 18 at the time, was the most successful player, taking 21 wickets with his leg-spin at an average of 32.23.[4] The highest scorer was Mazharul Haque, with 451 runs at an average of 32.21.
The victory over Windward Islands was the first first-class victory by any Bangladeshi representative team. Tushar Imran, who was also 18 years old, scored 46 and 79 and was named man of the match. Mosaddek Hossain took 3 for 41 and 5 for 81 in the eight-run victory.[5]
In December 2003 and January 2004 Bangladesh A competed in the 2003-04 PCB Patron's Trophy in Pakistan. Using 25 players, they played six matches, losing four and drawing the other two.[6] Shahriar Hossain scored 218, the only double-century in that season's competition, in the drawn match against Defence Housing Authority.[7]
During the same period Bangladesh A also competed in Pakistan's Patron's Cup List A tournament, winning two and losing four of their six matches.[8]
In February and March 2005, Bangladesh A played three first-class matches followed by five List A matches against Zimbabwe A in Bulawayo and Kwekwe. Captained by Shahriar Nafees, Bangladesh A won all three first-class matches, but under the captaincy of Sanwar Hossain they lost the List A series 2–3.[9]
The highest first-class innings for Bangladesh A was scored by Mushfiqur Rahim, who made 111 not out and 50 in the second match, his second first-class match at the age of 16.[10] He made his Test debut at Lord's three months later. Enamul Haque (aged 18), Shahadat Hossain (aged 18) and Shakib Al Hasan (aged 17) shared the bowling honours, Haque taking the best innings and match figures with 7 for 49 and 3 for 69 in the first match.[11] All three subsequently played Test cricket.
See Bangladesh A cricket team in England in 2005
Shortly after the Bangladeshi Test team toured England in 2005, a Bangladesh A team also toured, again captained by Shariar Nafees, playing five first-class matches (of which they lost three and drew two) and three List A matches (won two, lost one) in July and August.[12] Six of the team had been part of the earlier Test squad.[13] The outstanding player was Tushar Imran, who had not been part of the Test squad, who scored 467 runs in first-class matches at an average of 58.37, including the team's only two centuries.[13]
The tour to Zimbabwe in June and July 2006 followed the same pattern as the tour in 2005: three first-class matches followed by five List A matches, all against Zimbabwe A. This time, along with matches in Bulawayo and Kwekwe again, two matches were played in Mutare.[14] Tushar Imran captained the team, most of whom had Test experience.
Bangladesh A won the first first-class match, drew the second, and lost the third; they won the List A series 4–1. The outstanding player in the first-class matches was Enamul Haque, who took five wickets in each first innings and finished with 22 wickets at an average of 17.18. The highest scorer in the first-class matches was Alok Kapali, with 336 runs, including two centuries, at an average of 67.20. Mehrab Hossain scored a century in each innings in the second match.
Bangladesh A toured Sri Lanka in March and April 2007, playing two first-class and three List A matches against Sri Lanka A.[15] Tushar Imran again captained the team. All five matches were lost by large margins. No centuries were scored.
A young team of 22 players toured Ireland and England from mid-June to early August 2008. Nobody was older than 26, and 17 were under 22.[16] The captain, Junaid Siddique, was 20. They played four first-class matches (winning won and drawing three), four List A matches (winning one and losing three), one Twenty20 match (lost) and three minor matches.[17] The only century was scored by Raqibul Hasan in the List A match against MCC.[16]
Bangladesh A, captained by the experienced Test player Mohammad Ashraful, toured South Africa in April 2011, playing two first-class and four List A matches against South Africa A.[18] South Africa A won all the matches comfortably, except for the second first-class match, which was ruined by rain, and the first List A match, in which Ashraful took 3 for 27 and made 118 not out off 99 balls to lead Bangladesh A to a six-wicket victory.[19] Ashraful's was the only century for Bangladesh A.
In November 2011 Bangladesh A visited the West Indies, playing two first-class, two Twenty20, and two List A matches against West Indies A in Antigua and Saint Vincent.[20] The captain was Jahurul Islam.
They drew the first first-class match and lost the second by one wicket; they won the first Twenty20 by one wicket and lost the second by 55 runs; and they lost the two List A matches. Their only centuries came in the first match, when Mominul Haque (150) and Nasir Hossain (134) added 259 for the fifth wicket after the first four wickets had fallen for 59.[21]
An experienced 15-man Bangladesh A team, again captained by Jahurul Islam, toured England in August 2013, playing eight List A matches: five against county teams followed by three against England Lions.[22] Bangladesh A had generally sound batting but ineffective bowling, and they lost their first seven matches.[23] They won their last match after chasing the England Lions total of 319 for 7, when Farhad Reza hit a six off the last ball of the 50th over.[23]
In May and June 2014 Bangladesh A played seven matches in Barbados against teams representing the Sagicor High Performance Centre: two first-class, three List A and two Twenty20 matches.[24] The young West Indians outclassed Bangladesh A in every match except the first Twenty20 match, which Bangladesh A won easily.[25] Nasir Hossain captained the team in the two first-class matches, and Naeem Islam was the captain in the limited-overs matches.
In September 2015 Bangladesh A visited India and played three List A matches against India A in Bangalore, and two first-class matches, one against Karnataka in Mysore and one against India A in Bangalore.[26] The team was captained by Mominul Haque.
India A won the first and third List A matches. Bangladesh A won the second, thanks to Nasir Hossain, who scored 102 off 96 balls then took 5 for 36.[27] Karnataka won their first-class match by four wickets, then India A overwhelmed Bangladesh A by an innings. In Bangladesh A's first innings, Sabbir Rahman, going to the wicket after the first three wickets had fallen for two runs, scored 122 not out off 131 balls out of a team total of 228.[28]
A team captained by Shuvagata Hom toured South Africa and Zimbabwe a few weeks after the tour to India. They played four minor matches against South African provincial teams in Pretoria in October 2015, winning one and losing three, before going on to Zimbabwe in November to play five matches at the Harare Sports Club.[29] They played three List A matches against Zimbabwe A, winning them all comfortably; Mithun Ali scored 100, 66 and 60.[30] Two first-class matches followed which were evenly contested. Bangladesh A won the first by 14 runs and the second was drawn. Tasamul Haque scored 102 in the second match.
See also: Bangladesh A cricket team in Ireland in 2018. A team toured Ireland to play five unofficial ODIs (captained by Mominul Haque) and three unofficial T20s (captained by Soumya Sarkar) in August 2018.[31]
A team visited Sri Lanka in September and October 2019 to play three first-class matches and three List A matches. The captain in the first-class matches was Mominul Haque, and in the List A matches it was Mithun Ali.[32]
See main article: Bangladesh A cricket team in Pakistan in 2024. The Bangladesh A team is scheduled to visit Pakistan in August 2024 to play two first-class matches and three List A matches, all against Pakistan A. The first-class team will be captained by Anamul Haque Bijoy, and the List A team will be captained by Towhid Hridoy.[33]
Bangladesh A hosted Afghanistan A in July 2019 for two first-class and five 50-over matches.[34]
See also: Ireland Wolves cricket team in Bangladesh in 2020–21. Ireland Wolves toured Bangladesh to play one first-class match, five 50-over matches and one Twenty20 match in February and March 2021.[35]