Bangladesh legend Mashfiqur Rahim missed the centuryImage Credit source: Getty Images
For Bangladesh’s experienced wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim, the first Test match against Pakistan in Mirpur proved to be one of bitter-sweet memories. As soon as he took the field on the first day of this match, he became the second Asian player to play Test cricket for the longest period. Then on the second day of the match, he had a chance to create history but he missed it after coming very close to it. Mushfiqur had a chance to score a Test century on his birthday, which only a few batsmen have done in the nearly 148 years of Test history. On the second day of the match, Mushfiqur missed this feat by just 29 runs.
On May 9, the second day of this test match against Pakistan at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Mushfiqur came out to take his innings forward. But just a few minutes before this, Bangladeshi players celebrated the birthday of their senior teammate on the field itself. Mushfiqur, one of the most successful cricketers of Bangladesh, turned 39 on May 9. He had a chance to make his 39th birthday even more special, which he came very close to but it could not happen.
Mushfiqur completed another half-century. Amidst the applause of his supporters at home ground, he made a restrained start and gradually gained momentum. He displayed some spectacular drives and cut shots and scored runs and made Pakistan yearn for wickets. But when he was 29 runs away from the century, a ball from Shaheen Shah Afridi penetrated his strong defense and he was bowled. Mushfiqur returned to the pavilion after scoring 71 runs.
Mushfiqur made an important contribution with his score in Bangladesh’s first innings but the golden opportunity to score a century on his birthday was missed. If he had scored a century, he would have become only the 12th batsman and the first from Bangladesh to score a century on his birthday in the history of Test cricket. The last time this feat happened in Test cricket was in 2018, when Sri Lanka’s Kusal Mendis played a century.
Mushfiqur Rahim, the most experienced and reliable batsman of Bangladesh cricket, has so far batted in 185 innings of 101 matches in Test cricket and has scored 6581 runs. He has scored these runs at an average of 38.90, in which his best score is 219 not out. He has scored 13 centuries and 29 half-centuries. Rahim, who made his debut for Bangladesh in the Lord’s Test in 2005, is also the only wicketkeeper-batsman of Bangladesh to score two double centuries.
