Top 5 overseas knocks by Bangladesh batsmen in Tests

Bangladesh were down and out when they went in to play the first Test of their New Zealand tour in 2016-17. Having been whitewashed in the ODIs and T20Is, nobody gave them a chance. The worse part being that nobody even thought they would survive in the hostile conditions. The Pakistan tour of New Zealand that had preceded the series had seen the Asian giants succumb to swing big time. Hence, it was the same story that was expected to unfold here, if not worse. However, two of the senior batsmen from the unit stepped up to the occasion and played the innings of their careers.

Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim added mammoth 359 runs for the 5th wicket to help Bangladesh post a total of 595/8 decl. in their first innings. The total also goes down as their second highest Test total in the history of the game. Shakib became only the third batsman from the Bangladeshi land to score a double ton in Test cricket. Records tumbled as the two batsmen rallied along in their innings. One might consider that this was one-off shot in the Bangladesh armoury in the overseas conditions. But truth be told, this is not the first time that they have outclassed the hosts in overseas conditions.

Here are the top 5 overseas knocks by Bangladesh batsmen in Test cricket history:

5. Mohammad Ashraful – 129* v Sri Lanka, Colombo 2007

Team Bangladesh were staring at a defeat big time during the second Test of their tour to Sri Lanka in 2007. They were bundled out cheaply for 62 in the first innings. In response, Sri Lanka posted a mammoth 451 on the board riding on unbeaten double ton by Kumar Sangakkara. The defeat was inevitable for the visitors but it surely could be delayed.

Stuttering at 78/5, the tigers were not only staring at a defeat but staring at an embarrassing one. It was Mohammad Ashraful, the then mainstay of their middle order, who struck an unbeaten 129. His efforts saw Bangladesh savor some pride as they posted 299 on the board. Though they faced an innings defeat, they managed to prolong the proceedings. Ashraful’s 129 came off 236 balls with 18 boundaries.