Mushfiqur’s 144 one of Bangladesh’s best: Mashrafe

Veteran batter Mushfiqur Rahim became the first Bangladeshi to go past 6000 runs in Test cricket on the final session on Day 2 of the ongoing first Test against South Africa at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka today.

Mushfiqur needed 28 runs to reach 6000 runs and he reached the milestone with a boundary off Keshav Maharaj. Mushfiqur is also Bangladesh's leading scorer in the format and holds the record for the most number of appearances for a Bangladeshi in the format with 93 Tests.

He came to the crease today after Shanto departed for 24 and then injected some positive momentum in the innings, taking singles and doubles regularly and also hitting boundaries when they are on offer.

Mushfiqur remained unbeaten on 31 off 26 at the end of the day's play and his total run tally in Tests stands at 6003.

Bangladesh evaded a sixth successive under-200 total in Tests as they ended the fourth day of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Chattogram on Tuesday at 268 for seven. It was the Tigers' first 200-plus total in four attempts in the ongoing two-match series against the Lankans as they got bundled out for 188 and 182 in the first Test in Sylhet and were skittled out for 178 in the first innings of the match in progress. The abysmal batting has continued for the Tigers who can't seem to get out of their rut. The last time they scored over 200 was in 2023 November in the first of the two-match Test series against New Zealand in Sylhet. The hosts are on the brink of another big-margin loss as they would need nothing short of a miracle to escape defeat against the Lankans who set a daunting 511-run target. Photos: Firoz Ahmed 

Bangladesh managed to reignite their confidence after winning their opening T20 World Cup fixture against Sri Lanka in New York on Saturday. Having come under immense scrutiny in their build-up to the major event, Najmul Hossain Shanto's side seemed to have turned a corner and now eye a place into the Super 8s of the tournament following the thrilling win against the Lankans. With an encounter against South Africa up next, The Daily Star's podcast Pitch Perfect brings you a discussion about Bangladesh's chances to go through to the next stage.

Highlights

*Bangladesh possess a very bleak record against South Africa in T20Is as the Tigers are yet to win a game against the Proteas. The Tigers lost all eight of their encounters.

*Bangladesh have faced South Africa three times in T20 World Cups, suffering convincing defeats each time.

*Bangladesh's 104-run defeat against South Africa in Sydney in the 2022 T20 World Cup is their biggest margin of defeat in the tournament.

*Bangladesh opener Soumya Sarkar faces the challenge of not achieving the record of registering the most ducks in T20Is. With 13 ducks in 83 innings, Soumya is now tied at the top of the unwanted list with Ireland's Paul Stirling, who also managed the same number of ducks in 143 innings.

Bangladesh reinforced an unwanted record in Tests when they were bundled out for 178 on Day 3 in the second innings of the final Test against Sri Lanka in Chattogram on Monday. 

The dismal effort saw the Tigers extend their tally of getting bundled out below 200 to 102 in 276 innings; a percentage of 36. 96 which is the highest amongst teams to have played more than 10 Tests. Only Afghanistan (50%) and Ireland (37.5%) have a higher percentage in this regard but both are yet to play 10 matches in the format.

Zimbabwe comes in second with a percentage of 31.56 as they posted under 200 totals 71 times in 225 innings.

Bangladesh's batting department has blown hot and cold in recent encounters, particularly against oppositions that have been higher in quality than the Tigers. This was their fifth successive under-200 total and left the hosts staring at another likely defeat.  
 

Experienced campaigners Mushfiqur Rahim and Mominul Haque will feature for Bangladesh A in the opening four-day match of the upcoming two-match series against their Pakistani counterparts.

Bangladesh Cricket Board on Tuesday announced separate squads for its forthcoming Pakistan tour, where they will also play three one-day matches against the same opposition following the four-day series.

Apart from the senior duo, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Hasan Mahmud, and Nayeem Hasan, who are expected to be part of Bangladesh's Test team for the two-match series against Pakistan in late August, are named in the opening four-day match squad.

However, these six cricketers weren't named in the second match squad as they will join the remaining members of the national team in Pakistan, who will travel to Pakistan on August 17, after the first four-day game, scheduled for August 10-13.

Mohammad Naim, Saif Hassan, Soumya Sarkar, Jaker Ali Anik, Towhid Hridoy, and Mohammad Saifuddin will replace these six cricketers in the second four-day game, scheduled to be held on August 17-20. Meanwhile, Mahedi Hasan and Rishad Hossain will join the rest of the members of the one-day squad for the three-match series, scheduled on August 23, 25, and 27 respectively.

"Our A team matches work to our advantage in those regards since we will also have New Zealand and South Africa and even West Indies… When these matches take place, we will understand more," national selector Abdur Razzak told reporters at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.

"International cricket goes on in its own flow so if we can arrange these matches in-between it will be easier for us to form teams. If we need a young player or someone who has played for the national team before or if those who are playing require practice in a competitive setup, the A team's matches are important in those regards," he added.

All the matches of the series will be held in Islamabad. Bangladesh A will fly to Pakistan on August 6. The series will be a preparational series for Bangladesh ahead of their two-match Test series against Pakistan.

The first Test in Rawalpindi will take place on August 21-25 while Karachi will host the second Test on August 30-September 3. The series will be part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle.

1st four-day squad: Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Anamul Haque Bijoy, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shahadat Hossain Dipu, Mosaddek Hossain, Mahidul Islam Ankon, Nayeem Hasan, Hasan Murad, Tanvir Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Rejaur Rahman Raja, and Ruyel Miah.

2nd four-day squad: Anamul Haque Bijoy, Shahadat Hossain Dipu, Mosaddek Hossain, Mahidul Islam Ankon, Hasan Murad, Tanvir Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Rejaur Rahman Raja, Ruyel Miah, Mohammad Naim, Saif Hassan, Soumya Sarkar, Jaker Ali Anik, Tawhid Hridoy, and Mohammad Saifuddin.

One-day squad: Anamul Haque Bijoy, Shahadat Hossain Dipu, Mosaddek Hossain, Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Tanvir Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Rejaur Rahman Raja, Ruyel Miah, Mohammad Naim, Saif Hassan, Soumya Sarkar, Jaker Ali Anik, Tawhid Hridoy, and Mohammad Saifuddin.