Memory of first International match
Image- Collected
||CF Correspondent||
Bangladesh cricket is certainly passing through its adulthood but things were different during their birth, precisely 34 years ago through taking part in their maiden Asia Cup in Sri Lanka.
For the new kids on the block everything seems to be nothing short of fairytale as they had the privilege to brush shoulders with their idols through taking part in their competition in 1986.
Unlike today when Bangladesh is considered as a force to reckon in the 50-over cricket it was completely a different story all together for the men representing the green and red flag.
Though of some of them had the privilege to play alongside some of the greats of the neighboring nation by playing against them in different platforms but it was through their participation in the Asia Cup that a country called Bangladesh was born in the cricketing landscape and it was thrilling to say the least for the cricketers who were part of the historical match against Pakistan on March 31.
Bangladesh qualified for the Asia Cup after becoming champions in the South East Asia Cup two years back and probably from that moment they were anticipating to play competitive cricket against the big brothers, who had already started to dominate through their performance in international cricket.
Pakistan defeated Bangladesh by seven wickets after they were bundled out for 94 runs but more than the result the match is significant considering it was the beginning of their journey.
Bangladesh first ODI skipper Gazi Ashraf Hossain said that it was an experience that they cherished all through their life considering it was the first match of Bangladesh in the 50-over set-up.
‘’Naturally we were thrilled and excited because at that point we were not used to play so many games,’’ said Ashraf going through his memory lane adding that Imran Khan insisted that the toss is completed near the boundary circle.
“When Imran came to the toss, I could not understand if he was ready or not. Because he was on his practice cloth though I was in on my match jersey Anyway, he said, "No need to go too far for the wicket to get the toss, let's do it here[ at the boundary line]. At that time there was no obligation to have an umpire at the time of the toss. The captains used to toss and tell the umpires,’’ he said.
‘’TV broadcasts were limited during that edition of the tournament so the toss was not shown on TV and there was no formality attached but we completed the toss in the boundary line and I lost it,’’ he said
Lipu said that they paid the price of losing the toss as they were forced to bat against a bowling attack comprising Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Mohsin Khan, Muddassar Nazar and Abdul Qadir and that too in a wicket with moisture due to overnight rain.
“Wickets were not covered very well. It rained the previous night. The moisture was heavy on the wicket. We wanted to bowl first. But we lost the toss and batted first. It was a big challenge in front of their strong pace attack. Everyone was naturally a little disappointed after talking about losing the toss back to the dressing room. "
“No-one was scared, we wanted to fight. However, the reality was, we were far behind them in the combination of skill and experience,’’ he said.
Opener Raqibul Hasan said that for him facing the first ball for his country will remain close to his heart for the rest of his life.
‘’That feeling is not forgettable. Played the first international match for Bangladesh and I faced the very first ball. For me it was a lifetime achievement. That feeling can't be forgotten,’’ said Raqibul, who is currently working at different capacity in the BCB that includes match referees among others,’’ said Roqibul.
“Pakistan was a very strong team then. Sri Lanka was also a rising force in world cricket, a tough team for us. One disappointment was that didn't get the opportunity to play against India. India did not play in that tournament due to political inconvenience with Sri Lanka.”
Nurul Abedin Novel, who opened the innings with Roqibul, added that though they were quite overwhelmed watching those great cricketers, once they got into the field those things went out of their head.
‘’We really didn't experience this thing when we were leaving. A day or two before we went to the inauguration, Pakistan team and Sri Lanka team were beside us sitting. Look what was our age, looking at them we got nervous. But nothing else worked on the playground. Result is result,’’ said Minhajul.
Novel’s young brother Minhajul said that he was ecstatic to play with those players during that time.
‘’There was a lot of excitement as it was the first ODI also it was Asia Cup cricket and all the world stars from Sri Lanka, Pakistan were there. We were not ready to play with them at that time, we just played domestic matches at that time,’’ said Minhajul.
‘’ We didn't have that much opportunity. It was a great achievement when we went to play international cricket and we didn't had that much equipment also. We had to buy chest guard, arm guard when we arrived in Sri Lanka before the match. Like this there are so many things to remember. Above all, we represented our country in international cricket for the first time,’’ he said.
![Shoaib Malik [L] and Rishad Hossain](https://cricfrenzy.com/public/storage/images/4-2025/cf_HvFVz9L8.jpg)
