17 Interesting facts about Mominul Haque- The Bangladeshi Bradman

17 Interesting facts about Mominul Haque- The Bangladeshi Bradman: The Bangladeshi southpaw, Mominul Haque is hailed as one of the brightest young talents going around in the world. Mominul might be short in height but whatever he has achieved in his short career till now makes him a class apart. Mominul’s game is based on old school virtues which has reaped him fruits as well. Haque has a very sound technique and possess the meticulous ability to bat for a long duration of hours in Test cricket which showcases his gritty character. His classical repertoire of strokes especially his cover drives and cuts are very pleasing on the eye.

Today, on the occasion of his 24^th birthday, we present 17 Interesting facts about Mominul Haque- The Bangladeshi Bradman:

1. Birth:

Mominul Haque was born on 29 September 1991 in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.

2. Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan:

He has been part of the country’s biggest sports institute, Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan (BKSP). The likes of Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Nasir Hossain, and Abdur Razzak are all BKSP alumni.

3. First-Class debut:

Haque made his First-Class debut for Dhaka Division against Chittagong Division at Fatullah in 2008. In his debut innings, he could manage only 22 runs. While in the 2^nd innings of the match, Haque remained not out on 2 runs.

4. List-A debut:

In 2009, Mominul made his List-A debut for Dhaka Division against Barisal Division at Savar. But it was a match which he would like to forget as he scored only 5 runs.

5. Steady progress:

Haque continued his good performances as a middle-order batsman in the domestic cricket and later got selected in the Bangladesh’s Under-19 World Cup squad in 2010. After that, he was included in the National Cricket Academy as well.

6. Bangladesh A tour of West Indies:

Bangladesh A team’s tour of West Indies was one of the turning points in his career. In the very first match of the tour, he played a scintillating knock of 150 runs. After that, his back-to-back centuries in domestic cricket acted as a catalyst and soon he got a national call-up.

7. International debut:

The left-handed batter made his ODI debut against West Indies at Khulna in 2012. But he didn’t get the opportunity to bat as Bangladesh won the match easily. After that in the subsequent matches his performances were below par.

8. Impressive Test debut:

The classical batsman made his Test debut against Sri Lanka at Galle in 2013. In his debut innings, he hammered an 83 ball 55 run knock which included 9 glorious boundaries. He went on to score 156 runs in the three innings he played in the series and averaged in excess of 50.

9. First Test century:

In the 6^th innings of his Test career, Mominul scored his first Test century against New Zealand in Chittagong. And it was a big hundred as well as he amassed 181 runs and helped Bangladesh to post a total in excess of 500 runs. The classical knock included 27 fours. It is notable that he reached the 100 run mark off just 100 deliveries.

10. Most Memorable T20 knock:

In the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2012, he played a blistering 28 ball 53 run knock for Barisal Burners against Khulna Royal Bengals. Mominul’s inning helped his side win the match and he was adjudged the Player-of-the-Match for his defiant knock.

11. Love affair with New Zealand:

Haque has been exceptional against the Black Caps. In 2 Tests against them, he has blasted 376 runs with the help of two tons at a walloping average of 188 and strike-rate of 62.77. His highest individual score of 181 runs has also come against them.

12. Fastest to reach 1,000 Test runs:

Mominul Haque is the fastest Bangladeshi batsman to reach 1,000 runs in Test cricket. The southpaw took only 21 innings to achieve the feat.

13. Poor record in limited overs format:

Mominul hasn’t been able to replicate his Test match exploits in the colorful jersey. He has been tagged as a Test specialist in Bangladesh and has been deprived of many opportunities to prove his case. Though he holds a mediocre record in whatever opportunities he has got. In 26 ODI’s, he has plundered 543 runs at 23.60 while in 6 T20I matches he has accumulated 60 runs.

14. Fifties in 11 consecutive Tests:

He holds the record of scoring fifties in 11 consecutive Test matches. Haque could have equaled AB de Villiers’ record of fifties in 12 consecutive Tests, but, unfortunately, he failed to do so against the Indian’s. But yet for a guy who has hardly played 17 Tests even nearing such a feat is incredible.

15. Staggering Test record:

Mominul has played 17 Test matches and holds a mind-boggling tally of 1,456 runs at an awesome average of 56. He has compiled 4 centuries and 9 half-centuries so far in his Test career.

16. Second only to Bradman:

There was a time in Haque’s career when he boasted an astounding average of 63.90 after 24 innings in Tests, which was the second-highest in the history of Test cricket for players with a minimum of 20 innings. But now his average has gone down to 56.

17. Nickname:

He is fondly referred to as Showrab. After his exemplary knock of 181 runs against New Zealand his team-mates call him Sourav as his batting style reminds them of the Indian legend.

*(All Stats updated till 29th September 2015)