Bangabandhu National Stadium
| Ground information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Motijheel, Dhaka |
| Establishment | 1954 |
| Capacity | 36,000 |
| Owner | Dhaka Division |
| Operator | Bangladesh, Dhaka Abahani, Dhaka Mohammedan |
| Tenants |
Bangladesh national football team Brothers Union (Football) Mohammedan SC (Football) Dhaka Abahani (Football) |
| End names | |
|
Pavilion End Paltan End | |
| International information | |
| First Test | 1 January – 4 January 1955: Pakistan v India |
| Last Test | 14 January – 18 January 2005: Bangladesh v Zimbabwe |
| First ODI | 27 October 1988: Pakistan v Sri Lanka |
| Last ODI | 31 January 2005: Bangladesh v Zimbabwe |
|
As of 30 June 2009 Source: Bangabandhu National Stadium, Cricinfo | |
Bangabandhu National Stadium, (Bengali: বঙ্গবন্ধু জাতীয় স্টেডিয়াম) also known as Dhaka Stadium, and formerly known as Dacca Stadium is the national stadium and a multipurpose sports arena in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is located in the Motijheel area in the heart of the city. The Stadium have been renovated quite a few times, recently it was renovated during the 2011 Cricket World Cup for the opening ceremony. The Stadium had a capacity of close to 55,000 before the work of renovation, making it then the largest stadium of the country . After the renovation, it still remains the largest stadium of the country.
Its current name was given to honour Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of the nation, also known as Bangabandhu or Friend of Bengal.
History
The Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka is the only venue in the world to have hosted an inaugural home fixture for two Test nations- Pakistan and Bangladesh. India were the visitors on both occasions: in 1954–55, when Dacca was the capital of East Pakistan, and 46 years later, when Bangladesh became the tenth nation to attain Test status. 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 Bangladesh national football team.
The stadium has a rich history for hosting number of historic sports event starting from Cricket,Football, Hockey to Boxing. In 1978, the boxing legend Muhammad Ali played a boxing match at this stadium, the then Dacca Stadium, with a 12-year-old Bengali boy. Recently on September 6, 2009 Bangabandhu National Stadium hosted a historical international friendly football match between Argentina and Nigeria, featuring the then record FIFA Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi, a milestone for football in the country.
Current use
Currently, the stadium is used for football and athletics. Total seating capacity is about 36,000. It was also home to the Bangladeshi cricket team until 1 March 2005. On the 6 September 2011,
The stadium is located next to National Hockey Stadium. The stadium was used for competitions of the 2010 South Asian Games, including football and athletics.
Renovation : 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, Opening Ceremony
Bangbandhu National Stadium hosted the opening ceremony of the 2011 Cricket World Cup co-hosted by Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India on 17 February 2011. The stadium was exclusively modernized and renovated into a world class stadium to host the opening ceremony. The capacity of the stadium had been increased to 36,000, a large LED screen had been installed, a modern roof had also been attached over the press box. The entrances and VIP box have also been upgraded to host the grand gala inaugural ceremony. The press box, along with a refreshment stand and the VIP box have been revamped. The stadium now has state of the art facilities suitable for international sporting events.
See also
References
External links
Coordinates: 23°43′40.2″N 90°24′48.4″E / 23.727833°N 90.413444°E