May 25, 2007	Friday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 08, 1428

DHAKA, May 24: The modern Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium will become Bangladesh's sixth venue to host Test matches when it hosts second cricket Test between India and Bangladesh on Friday.

Built initially for football, the 40,000-capacity stadium in Mirpur suburb of capital is now purely a cricket venue. There are ambitious plans for the stadium, including plans to shift the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) offices and the national academy.

All previous 17 Tests and 58 One-day Internationals matches played in Dhaka, including Bangladesh's debut match in 2000 against India, were held at Bangabandhu Stadium, but now that venue is used for only football matches.

Babiul Alam Khokon, one of oldest officials involved with Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium as a curator, has a reason to smile on eve of hosting Test match. “I am happy as I am curator in first Test. But I am not overly excited as I am around for 10 years as curator and now every match is same for me.”

Other international venues of Bangladesh, besides two in Dhaka, are M A Aziz Stadium and Bir Shrestha Shahid Ruhul Amin Stadium in Chittagong, Khula Division Stadium in Khula, Narayanganj Osmani Stadium in Fatullah and Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogra. But only five of them have hosted Test matches.—Agencies