List of 5 Players responsible for Bangladesh cricket’s rise

Bangladesh had a successful tour of Sri Lanka recently where they drew all three series – Test, ODI and T20 – played. They recorded their first Test win on Sri Lanka’s soil in their 100^th Test match since getting Test status in 2000.

Bangladesh has made rapid strides in international cricket in the last couple of years, especially in ODI cricket. Since the start of 2015, Bangladesh have won 17 out of the completed 29 games they have played. That is a fair record to boost of considering Bangladesh’s overall winning ratio is just 31.48%. Also, these wins included home series wins against big teams like India and Pakistan.

Their Test record is on the rise too. They have won 5 out of 19 Tests played since October 2014 compared to their overall record of 9 wins out of 100 Tests. They have gone from strength to strength in these three years and have not only competed in big games, but also have defeated big teams. They beat England to knock them out of the ICC World Cup 2015 and played in the quarter-finals for the first time in their history. Bangladesh are no pushovers anymore, they can compete and compete hard.

Let us have a look at 5 Players who have played leading roles in Bangladesh cricket’s rise:

Shakib Al Hasan:

Arguably the biggest player Bangladesh has produced, Shakib has been one of the leading all-rounders of the game for a number of years now. Shakib recently became the first Bangladeshi cricketer to have scored a Test double century outside the sub-continent. His knock of 217 against New Zealand at Wellington is also the highest ever score by a Bangladeshi both home and away.

Shakib was instrumental in Bangladesh’s 4-wicket win against Sri Lanka at Colombo last month courtesy his glorious 116 in the first innings which made sure that his team had a substantial lead in the first innings. He then finished with a match haul of 6/154 and was adjudged the ‘Man-of-the-Series’.

He boosts of great numbers across formats and is a proven match winner. A tally of 4776 runs and 221 wickets in 169 ODI’s puts him right up there with the best all-rounders to have played this format. He is plays for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and has learnt enormously through the exposure.

Tamim Iqbal:

The explosive opening batsman announced himself on the Test arena in 2010. He ended the year with 837 runs at 59.78 runs. He smashed three centuries including back-to-back hundreds in England. Though his performances couldn’t lead his side to a victory, Tamim showed the way for the rest of the pack to follow in the years to come.

Tamim, though, was a consistent performer already at the ODI level. Nobody would forget India’s defeat to Bangladesh in the 2007 Would Cup where Tamim smashed the Indian bowlers around to score a 53-ball 51 which included two towering sixes.

With 8 Test and ODI’s centuries to his name, Tamim has scored the most hundreds for Bangladesh in either format. He was the ‘Man-of-the-Match’ in Bangladesh’s famous win over Sri Lanka recently, where he contributed with a crucial 82 in a tricky chase of 191. Tamim now has more than 10,000 runs across formats, which is the most for his country. Aged just 28, the left-hander will only get better from here.

Mushfiqur Rahim:

Since taking over the Test captaincy in 2011, Mushfiqur has been the mainstay of the Bangladeshi middle-order. The wicket-keeper batsman has been in great form in the longer format of the game, especially overseas. He has amassed 1618 runs at an average of 39.46 in 23 overseas Test compared to 1647 at 32.29 in 31 home Tests. Mushfiqur’s greatest moment in Test cricket came when he became the first Bangladesh batsman to score a double century when he hit 200 against Sri Lanka at Galle.

Mushfiqur has been equally good in ODI cricket. His best season so far has been the 2015 one, where he scored 767 runs at an average of 51.13. His purple patch coincided with Bangladesh’s best year in ODI cricket as they won 13 out of their 18. They whitewashed Pakistan 3-0 at home and followed it up with a 2-1 win against India.

Mushfiqur has been at the thick of things whenever Bangladesh cricket has tasted success. The 29-year old still is very competitive whenever he walks out to take the field in a Bangladeshi shirt.

Mashrafe Mortaza:

The ODI captain of Bangladesh recently called it quits from T20 cricket. Before doing that, he led his side to a series leveling win in both limited overs format series. Mashrafe will be one of the very few players who will play just one format from now on. His contributions in ODI cricket has been the most significant.

Mashrafe shot to limelight way back in 2006 when he picked 49 wickets in 27 games including a career-best 6/26 against Kenya at Nairobi. For a number of years Mashrafe was the only fast bowler to watch out for from the Bangladeshi team. His 4/38, in Bangladesh’s memorable World Cup win against Indian in 2007, won him the ‘Man-of-the-Match’. He ripped through the strong Indian batting line-up to turn the tide towards his teams favor.

Mashrafe has the ability to keep the runs down. His ODI economy rate of 4.73 in 172 games is a testimony of that. Still aged 33, Mashrafe can expect to add to his 225 wicket-tally in the near future.

Mahmudullah:

Mahmudullah made a name for himself when he became the first man from Bangladesh to smash a century in World Cup cricket. On the backs of his 103*, Bangladesh handed England a shock defeat which ended their World Cup campaign prematurely. He followed it up with an equally brilliant century (123*) in the next game against New Zealand. His efforts helped Bangladesh to qualify for the quarter-finals for the first time.

The 31-year old started his international career as an off-spinner who could bat a bit. Mahmudullah now is more of a batsman. He has been an essential cog in Bangladesh’s wheel over the years. Since being promoted to bat at No. 4 in ODI cricket, Mahmudullah has scored 703 runs at a very healthy average of 50.21 and a strike rate of 80.

Bangladesh will keep improving further and these five players have a huge role to play in their rise.