While Kabbadi is the national game of Bangladesh, Football and Cricket are more popular with Cricket being the most popular sport. The Bangladesh national cricket team won the ICC Trophy in 1997 against Kenya which enabled them to participate in the 1999 Cricket World Cup. In their very first World Cup, Bangladesh beat Pakistan and Scotland in the first round. In 2000, the Bangladesh national cricket team was granted Test cricket status and became eligible to play other test playing nations. At various times Bangladesh has beat Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and West Indies; more importantly Bangladesh beat India national cricket team and South Africa national cricket team in 2007 Cricket World Cup. They have also beaten West Indies in 2007 ICC World Twenty 20. In July 2009 Bangladesh Cricket Team secured its second ever Test Series win against West Indies. The first one was against Zimbabwe Cricket Team in the 2004-2005 seasons. Other popular sports include field hockey, tennis, badminton, handball, volleyball, chess and carom. The Bangladesh Sports Control Board regulates twenty-nine different sporting federations. In 2011, Bangladesh is going to host the ICC Cricket World Cup jointly with India and Sri Lanka. |