They became an associate member of the ICC in 1977.[12] Bangladesh's first official foray into international cricket came in the 1979 ICC Trophy in England. On 31 March 1986, Bangladesh played their first ODI match, against Pakistan in the Asia Cup. For a long time, football was the most popular sport in Bangladesh, but cricket gradually became very popular – particularly in urban areas – and by the late 1990s, it had surpassed football. Bangladesh performed inconsistently until 1997, when they marked their first major victory, winning the 1997 ICC Trophy in Malaysia and thus qualified for their first Cricket World Cup to participate in England in 1999. There, they defeated Pakistan – causing much upset – and Scotland. This set the way to becoming the 10th Test-playing nation. On 26 June 2000, Bangladesh was granted full ICC membership.[13][14][15][16][17] They played their first test match in November 2000 against India with a 9 wicket loss in Dhaka.[18][19][20][21][22]
Bangladesh holds the record for most consecutive losses in Tests (21, between 2001 and 2004) and ODIs (23, between 1999 and 2002).[23][24][25] Bangladesh's maiden Test victory was against Zimbabwe in 2005 where securing a draw in the 2nd match, Bangladesh won their first Test series.[26] In 2009, Bangladesh toured the West Indies for two Tests and by winning both secured their first overseas Test series victory.[27] As of 21 June 2025, Bangladesh has played 154 Tests, winning 23. Results have improved predominantly at home with draws earned against Pakistan, India and South Africa and wins against England, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Australia.[28] They played their 100th Test against Sri Lanka in March 2017, which they won by 4 wickets.[29][30][31][32][33][34] As of 2 July 2025, the team has won 161 of its 449 ODI matches.[35] They played their 100th ODI[36][37]against India in 2004 which they won, 200th ODI against West Indies in 2009 which they won, 300th ODI[38] in the quarter-final of the 2015 Cricket World Cup against India, which they lost and 400th ODI against Zimbabwe, which they won.[39][40] They won their 100th ODI match when Afghanistan toured Bangladesh in October 2016.[41][42] Bangladesh have also played 194 T20Is, winning 76.[43] They played their 100th T20I against Zimbabwe in July 2021 which they won.[44][45] Results have improved with wins against Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand and West Indies.[46]
Bangladesh's major achievements include reaching the semi-finals in 2017 ICC Champions Trophy. That run included a famous comeback win over New Zealand, often considered one of the greatest wins in Bangladesh's cricketing history. The team reached the quarter-finals in 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup after beating England in Adelaide, still a landmark moment for the team and the fanbase. Bangladesh were runners up in three Asia Cups -in 2012, where they lost by a narrow margin of 2 runs in Mirpur, in 2016, the T20 version of the tournament held at home, and 2018 held in the UAE. They lost in the final of the 2018 Nidahas Trophy in the last over, the latest of a series of near-final losses for the national side. They won their first recognized multi-team trophy when lifted 2019 Ireland Tri-Nation Series. As of 31 May 2025, Bangladesh is ranked 9th in both Tests & ODIs and 10th in T20Is by the ICC.[47]