Top 5 best bowling figures by Bangladesh bowlers in test cricket

Five Bangladeshi bowlers have picked up seven or more wickets in an innings in test cricket.

The Bangladesh cricket team made their ODI debut in 1986. They gained full-member status in 2000 and played their maiden test the same year.

However, their initiation in test cricket was inauspicious as they lost 21 consecutive tests between 2001 and 2004. Their maiden test match and test series victory came in 2005 against Zimbabwe. Their first overseas test series win was against West Indies in 2009.

Slowly, they started using their home advantage of dry and spin-friendly pitches and slayed giants like Australia and England at home.

Bangladeshi bowlers, especially spinners, have been instrumental in their success over the past decade or so in test cricket. They have produced match-winning performances, mostly at home.

In this article, we will look at the five best bowling performances (innings) by Bangladeshi bowlers in test cricket.

Top 5 best bowling figures by Bangladesh bowlers in test cricket:

5. Taijul Islam – 7/116 vs Pakistan, 2021

In the Chattogram test against Pakistan in 2021, left-arm spinner Taijul Islam bowled 44.4 overs in Pakistan’s first innings that lasted 115.4 overs to pick up seven wickets. Bowling over one-third of the overs, Taijul returned with figures of 7/116 as Pakistan scored 286 in reply to Bangladesh’s 330.

Despite taking a first-innings lead, the hosts lost the match as they were bowled out for only 157 runs in their second innings, and Pakistan chased down the target of 202 runs with eight wickets in hand.

4. Enamul Haque Jnr. – 7/95 vs Zimbabwe, 2005

Left-arm spinner Enamul Haque Jnr. played a starring role in Bangladesh’s first test series win against Zimbabwe in 20005 at home. In the second test, which ended in a draw, Enamul took 7/95 in Zimbabwe’s first innings.

The visitors ended with a total of 298 and then bowled the hosts out for 211. Then, Enamul Haque Jnr. snapped a five-for in Zimbabwe’s second innings as Bangladesh got a 374-run target. The match ended in a draw with the hosts at 285/5.

3. Mehidy Hasan Miraz – 7/58 vs West Indies, 2018

On a typical spin-friendly Dhaka surface, off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz ran through the West Indies batting order to claim figures of 7/58 & 5/59 in a test in 2018.

Bangladesh had posted 508 in their first innings and then, through Miraz’s spectacular performances, bowled out West Indies for 111 and 213 (following on).

2. Shakib Al Hasan – 7/36 vs New Zealand, 2008

One of Shakib Al Hasan’s best bowling performances came right in the early part of his career when he returned with superb figures of 7/36 against New Zealand in the Chattogram test in 2008.

In reply to Bangladesh’s 245, New Zealand were bowled out for only 171 as Shakib bagged a seven-wicket haul, his 7/36 were the then-best bowling figures by a Bangladeshi in test cricket.

However, New Zealand managed to win the test match by chasing the target of 317 runs with three wickets in hand.

1. Taijul Islam – 8/39 vs Zimbabwe, 2014

In another low-scoring encounter dominated by the home spinners in Mirour, Taijul Islam rattled the Zimbabwean batsmen by taking nine wickets in the match, eight of which came in a single innings.

Taijul Islam’s 8/39 in Zimbabwe’s second innings in the Mirpur test in 2014 are the best bowling figures by a Bangladeshi bowler in test cricket.

The match was turned into effectively a one-innings shootout as Bangladesh had managed a 14-run first-innings lead. Then, in Zimbabwe’s second innings, Taijul took 8/39 in 16.5 overs to bowl out the visitors for only 114 runs. Bangladesh won the test by three wickets in the end.

(All stats updated till 30th October, 2024)

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