Overview

The Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka is the only venue in the world to have hosted an inaugural home fixture for two Test nations. India were the visitors on both occasions: in 1954-55, when Dacca (sic) was the capital of East Pakistan, and 46 years later, when Bangladesh became the tenth nation to attain Test status. Situated in the throbbing heart of Dhaka, the Bangabandhu and the nearby National Hockey Stadium are so incorporated into the daily hustle and bustle of Bangladeshi life that it is hard to tell from the outside that they are in fact sporting venues, especially given the plethora of electrical goods stalls that have sprung up all around the concourse. With a purpose-built cricket stadium being constructed on the outskirts of the city, the ground was taken out of commission at the end of the 2004-05 season, and handed over for the sole use of the national football squad. Andrew Miller May 2005