And nobody could have thought of a better way to say goodbye to the all-purpose venue built exclusively for cricket in the 50s.

A packed crowd, the same deafening noise and to cap it all a brilliant day in the field for the Tigers, who won game by eight wickets to seal a historic one-day triumph two weeks after clinching the two Test series 1-0 at the same venue.

But from today cricket will cease to exist at the grand old venue, which has seen many of Bangla-desh's finest cricketing achievements notably the first-ever Test match against India on November 10, 2000.

Now, cricket is all set to move to its new home at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur after a hectic home season against New Zealand, India and Zimbabwe.

But it is doubtful whether the Mirpur venue would be able to host an international game when the mighty Australians come here next year as the renovation is yet to start in full swing.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had already announced they would be leaving the BNS after the Zimbabwe series and it is due to be handed over to the Bangladesh Football Federation from March 1.

But cricket fans have already started to express their displeasure at pulling cricket out of a venue that has become the centre of attraction for more than just the game itself.

An organisation named the Cricket Family protested the move during the fifth and final one-dayer

"We want cricket to stay at the Bangabandhu Stadium," read one poster while another poster, stuck outside the venue, said: "Don't take cricket away from the Lord's of the East."

Meanwhile, some suspended directors of the BCB have also criticised the government decision to drive cricket out from the national number one stadium.