The year 2000 will be remembered lor many reasons. It was the year that Bangladesh cricket joined the Test frater-tiny, played Its first Test matc h and had to say goodbye l> revered Director of Development Eddie Barlow

At the same time some things never changed at all. The tug of war between football and cricket over possession of the Bangabandhu National Stadium and failure at the Sydney Olympics were to name but • i lew instances. Our swimmers drowned in the pool, athletes collapsed In the middle of the track. and country's Hag-bearing shooter Sabrina Sultan was way olf the target.

Taking a leaf out of cricket s book by holding the inaugural National League, football also had to play the game puzzle --Who's the coach?" We refer to the sacking of 1986 Iraqi World Cupper Samir Shakir and the subsequent short-lived tenure of his British incumbent Mark Harrison. A new name in the long list has recently been included. He is George Cot tan from Hungary But how long will he be al the helm is anybody's guess?

In other sports, the story had bright beginnings with an ending ol unfulfilled promises. Notably chess. which saw the return of the country's only Grand Master Niaz Murshed His presence however wasn't enough to inspire young pretenders to come forward and make their primary grades. At the Olympiad both our men and women fared miserably. International Master Ziaur Rahman meanwhile is chasing the other elusive norm.

Though (he last 12 months have not been all doom and gloom for our sports. By lifting the coveted Premier League title Muktijoddha finally dispelled the long-held belief that spectators would turn up at matches involving only Mo-haminedan and Abahani. Dhaka enhanced its growing । reputation as an ideaL interna-tmnul vemre by successfully staging the Pepsi Asia Clip in May-June.

There was also a bit of controversy too. Up on the list in January was the cricketers’ n volt and formation of an assn-ialion to show solidarity with —•ven colleagues who were dished out with punitive pun-ishment. Only weeks before the Inaugural Test against India on November 10. the selectors came under fire over their hoices. No sooner had they det tiled to leave out Hablbul Bashar and Enamul Hoque storm clouds gathered over the Bangladesh Cricket Board office. So. in a desperate effort to diffuse the tension chief selector Tanvir Halder upon the advice of Board president Saber Hossain reluctantly stretched the initial list of fourteen to sixteen by including the two After just a month or so Halder himself resigned citing a customary poor health.

Nobody in their wildest dreams could have imagined Bangladesh, under new skipper Naimur Rahman, giving Saurav Ganguly .- India a hard lime. In fact, for tiie most part of the first Test the home side did just that, thanks to the contributions of century-maker Aminul Islam and Naimur’s bag of sLx wickets. Unfortunately, a second innings collapse of the hosts enabled the tourists to rally back into game, turning an honourable draw Into a sensational victory on the evening of the fourth day.

Eddie Barlow, acknowledged for masterminding Bangladesh's promotion to the rank of Test nation at the June meeting of the International Cricket Council (ICC), collapsed after suffering stroke at his Gulshan residence in April. The former South African all-rounder was then treated in Singapore and in South Africa. He finally badca tearful farewell, as his health did noi permit Io continue.

Following Is the brief look-back at the pasi months.

JANUARY

Il began on the wrong foot. The BCB banned seven leading players Inc luding then captain Aminul Islam to only fuel the growing discontent between the newly floated Cricketers' Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) and Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolitan (CCDMI. The three-montli impasse however ended on January 22. A few clays later opener Shahriar Hossain scored centuries in both Innings against the visiting MCC. Renowned footballer Monrm Munna was diagnosed with a serious kidney disorder. Besides, noted chess organiser Mujibur Rahman. 60. passed away on January 21

FEBRUARY

Discontent. death, nearmiss. a noble gesture and match-fixing was on February's menu. The Ill-feeling between cricketers and the establishment re-surfaced when the BCB endorsed CCDM's plan to increase the quota for foreign players from Iwo to three.

Yet another well-known organiser died. He was Jalal Uddin Ahmed a vice-president of the Bangladesh Shooting Federation. Ziaur Rahman fell half a point short of a required second GM norm in the Goodrif kc tournament. The footballers and cricketers for one evening set aside their differences by featuring in a charity football match to raise funds for Munna treatment. Fixing took the ‘ shape of a Second Division match in which one side brilliantly chased 83 runs off 29 balls!

MARCH

Dhaka c ricket witnessed the ugliest incident when Kalaba-gan's Pakistani batsman Zahoor Elahi. angry at being dismissed, threw Ins bat al his conqueror Abahani pac^r Hasibnl Hossain. Although Abahani won the inatch amid controversial cir-i tumstancesr tlrf* ir^ilt arid for 1 that matter the championship is being fought out in the courts by Kalabagan who claim that they were denied victory on a technicality.

APRIL

International Cricket Week was observed in Bangladesh as elsewhere in the world. The highlight of the programme organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC), was the one-day match between Asia Eleven led by Wasim Akram and Mark Waugh's Rest of the World. Michael Bevan’s blistering 132 not out almost swung the game the world stars’ way. Wari Club, founded in 1838. held a colourful five-day centenary celebration. The month ended with Barlow suffering a brain hemorrhage.

MAY

Coach Mark Harrison

watched as Bangladesh were eliminated from the Maldives Gnlden Jubilee Tournament. After I hat Harrison went to England and never returned. To drum up support for Bangladesh s bid for Test stains. BCB president Saber Hossain visited Australia and New Zealand. Meanwhile, State Minister for Youth and Sports Obaidul Quarter went to India and Pakistan. Both Australian and South African boards offered unanimous support ahead of the ICC's meeting at Lords In June. Dynamic organiser from Chittagong Yusuf Ghani and Sports Editor of the Daily Itte-faq Badiuzzaman breathed their last. The biggest cricket carnival In this part of the world -the eighth Asia Cup got underway in the capital.

JUNE

June 26 goes down in history with the emergence of the tenth Test playing nation. The news from London was greeted with joyous scenes all around Bangladesh. Pakistan won the Asia Cup for the first time beating Sri Lanka in the final. Elsewhere. Bangladesh finished runners-up at the Asian Under-16 Hockey Tournament in Singapore. They lost to India 5-2 in the final.

JULY

Bangladesh missed out on qualifying for the final round of the Asian Under-19 Football Championship after brightening their chances in the Group 4 qualifiers in Rajshahi. Iraq advanced by virtue of having a better goal difference but not before the hosts gave them a real scare in a (1-1) drawn en-

counter. In their first attempt towards professionalism. BCB brought 18 players on Its payroll. South Korea clinched the Asian Junior Womens Hand ball Tournament. Footballers followed their cricket cousins by threatening a strike during the national camp for the historic one-match against India in England. The strike was averted and tour went ahead eventually. Bangladesh lost 1-0 at Leicester City’s Filbert Street.

AUGUST

Football dominated the headlines on and off the pitch. The inter-club transfers which had Abahani and Muktijoddha battling for possession, went as far as to a hijacking' when some leading players on their return from England were whisked away by waiting club officials at the airport. Mohammedan Sporting Club undertook a tour of England. They lost to West Ham’s youth side. National winger Mamun Joarder called it a day. Abahani lifted the Federation Cup defeating archrivals Mohammedan 2-1. Naimur Rahman was named new Bangladesh cricket captain replacing Aminul Islam. England declined to play in Bangladesh’s historic first Test inatch because of conflicting prior commitments.

SEPTEMBER

While the 'greatest show on earth" the Millennium Olympic Games were going on in Sydney there was the extravagant annual general meeting of the BCB in Cox’s Bazar. Also Mohammedan, wiio starved of success in other disciplines, rode on the prowess of Paki-

stani wizard Shahbaz and his prolific compatriot Tahir Zaman to win the hockey league title tor the fourth consecutive time.

OCTOBER

Heartbreak and agony went hand in hand. From crashing to an elghl-wlcket defeat against England In the Second ICC Knockout Trophy In Kenya. Bangladesh had tn endure four painful losses against various selections in South Africa. The visitors were bowled out for 50-odd runs In their last two one-day matches.

NOVEMBER

It was an eventful month when Bangladesh played their inaugural Test match against India. They lost their first official five-day encounter with a day to spare, but won the hearts of even a hard-nosed critic like Novjot Singh Sidhu, the former Indian opener who vehemently op|M>sed Bangladesh’s awarding of Test status.

The high points of the match were Bangladesh s 4X) runs in the first innings, the second highest total by dubutatlrig nation. Aminul Islam walked In the record books in a grandiose way. He scored a majestic 145. which is the second best individual score on debut after Australia’s Charles Bannerman.

Mukitijoddha won the coveted Premier Football League for a second time.

DECEMBER

BCB chief selector Tanvir Haider decided to step down. Titas Club ended the monopoly of Bimans reign in domestic chess lifting the First Division League title for the first time. Eddie Barlow bade adieu without any prior nolice.