Cricket started in Bangladesh after they gained independence in 1971. Now, 51 years later, the team has made significant progress in international cricket. Over the last 15 years, their team management has focused on both young and experienced players. This mix has brought positive results, especially in limited-overs cricket.
In both ODIs and T20Is, Bangladesh has improved by playing aggressive cricket. Their performance in ICC events shows the growing strength of the Bangla Tigers. They have played fearless cricket in major tournaments, often surprising top Test-playing nations.
Here is a list of ten Bangladeshi cricketers who have changed the fate of their team:
1. Tamim Iqbal
Tamim Iqbal has played for Bangladesh for 15 years. He began in 2007 against Zimbabwe and a month later scored a crucial fifty against India, helping Bangladesh win their first World Cup match against them.
During these years, Tamim has thrilled Bangladesh fans with many impressive performances. His strong starts have often led Bangladesh to important wins. In August 2022, he retired from T20 internationals but will keep playing ODIs and Tests. His experience and cricket knowledge will be valuable for younger players aiming to get better.
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2. Abdur Razzak
Abdur Razzak played professional cricket for 14 years. During that time, Bangladesh improved in cricket. Razzak, a left-arm spinner, was a key player during this period.
After Mohammad Rafique retired, Razzak became the leader of the spin bowling team. In 2013, he became the first Bangladeshi bowler to take 200 wickets in ODIs. He played crucial roles in Bangladesh’s victories over India and England in the World Cups of 2007 and 2011 by taking important wickets and bowling economically.
In a historic home series against New Zealand in 2010, Razzak bowled with discipline and took seven wickets with an impressive economy rate of 4.08. He retired from all forms of cricket in 2021.
3. Mohammad Rafique
Mohammad Rafique started playing internationally in 1995. At that time, Bangladesh was seen as an average team. But in 1999, during the World Cup in England, Bangladesh surprised everyone by defeating the strong Pakistan team for the first time.
In that match, Rafique, known for his spin bowling, took one wicket and only gave away 28 runs. His best performance in the World Cup came in 2007 against India, where he, along with Mashrafe Mortaza and Abdur Razzak, helped restrict India to just 191 runs.
Using his experience and skills, Rafique dismissed three key Indian batsmen: Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni. After this famous World Cup victory, Rafique retired in 2008 after playing his last Test series at home against South Africa.
4. Habibul Bashar
In 2004, Habibul Bashar became the captain of Bangladesh’s cricket team. Under his leadership, Bangladesh started winning against teams like India and Australia.
During his three years as captain, Bangladesh had their best performance in the 2007 World Cup (50 overs). They surprised everyone by beating India in the group stage and moving to the next round. In the Super 8 stage, Bangladesh caused another surprise by defeating South Africa by 67 runs.
In 2007, after playing a series against India at home, Habibul Bashar retired from international cricket. Bangladesh improved a lot as a cricketing nation during his time as captain.
5. Rubel Hossain
In the past 15 years, Bangladesh has seen a rise in talented cricket players, and Rubel Hossain is one of them. He started playing for the national team in 2009 and quickly became a key bowler. Until 2016, Bangladesh relied on him to take early wickets, along with their bowling leader Mahrafe Mortaza.
During the 2015 World Cup, Hossain showed his skill against England. In his second World Cup appearance, he played a crucial role as Bangladesh won by 15 runs at the Adeliade Oval. Hossain bowled impressively, taking 4 wickets for 53 runs in 9.3 overs. His performance helped Bangladesh secure a place in the quarter-finals against India.
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6. Mohammad Ashraful
Mohammad Ashraful is known as the first big star of Bangladesh cricket. After he scored a century in a one-day international match against Australia in Cardiff in 2005, he became very famous in his country.
In 2007, he played some memorable innings for the team. In a Super 8 game against South Africa during the 2007 World Cup, Ashraful scored 87 runs and helped Bangladesh win the match.
That same year, Ashraful led his team to victory against the strong West Indies in the 2007 T20 World Cup. He scored 61 runs, securing Bangladesh’s win and ensuring they advanced to the Super 8 round of the first-ever T20 World Cup.
7. Mushfiqur Rahim
Mushfiqur has been playing cricket for Bangladesh for 17 years. He’s known for his strong batting in the middle of the lineup. He’s earned the nickname “Mr. Dependable” for consistently performing well.
Rahim is a key player for Bangladesh cricket. He’s helped raise the team’s level with his impressive batting in important matches. Fans remember his great innings in the 2007 and 2015 World Cups against India and England. Even at 35 years old, he’s still respected and loved by Bangladesh fans for his skillful play.
8. Mustafizur Rahman
Mustafizur Rahman is a well-known player in the Bangladesh cricket team. He gained fame by playing exceptionally well against India in 2015. During India’s visit to Bangladesh, he took 13 wickets in three ODIs, which was a remarkable achievement for him and the team.
His performance helped Bangladesh win their first ODI series against India, marking a historic moment. Since then, Mustafizur has continued to shine in shorter cricket formats. He is known for his economical bowling and has been a reliable player for Bangladesh over the past seven years.
His consistent performance makes him a role model for the next generation of Bangladeshi cricketers.
9. Mashrafe Mortaza
Mashrafe Mortaza played cricket for Bangladesh for more than 19 years. He became a big name through hard work and determination. Mortaza was known for his economical bowling and led the team’s bowling for many years.
He also served as the team’s captain, leading them to success in major tournaments like the ICC World Cup 2015, 2016 Asia Cup, and ICC Champions Trophy 2017. Bangladesh performed well against top teams in these competitions. His leadership and contributions make him highly respected in his country.
10. Shakib Al Hasan
Since Shakib Al Hasan joined the team, Bangladesh has improved a lot. He’s been key in their cricket by batting, bowling well, and leading the team.
In 2009, Shakib played so well that he became the team’s top player when their captain was away. As captain, he led Bangladesh to beat the West Indies in Tests and ODIs at home.
In Bangladesh, Shakib is highly respected for his great cricket career. He’s made Bangladesh cricket much better.
Here is the table with the statistics for the players:
| Player | Format | Matches | Runs | Wickets | Batting Average | Bowling Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shakib Al Hasan | Test | 67 | 4505 | 237 | 38.84 | 31.16 |
| ODI | 247 | 7570 | 317 | 37.11 | 29.53 | |
| T20I | 129 | 2551 | 149 | 23.19 | 20.91 | |
| Mashrafe Mortaza | Test | 36 | 797 | 78 | 11.61 | 41.52 |
| ODI | 220 | 1788 | 269 | 13.00 | 32.65 | |
| T20I | 54 | 402 | 42 | 10.84 | 37.56 | |
| Mustafizur Rahman | Test | 14 | 52 | 31 | 4.73 | 23.54 |
| ODI | 86 | 163 | 139 | 4.67 | 24.12 | |
| T20I | 82 | 26 | 100 | 5.20 | 21.73 | |
| Mushfiqur Rahim | Test | 84 | 5322 | 15 | 36.77 | 65.06 |
| ODI | 248 | 7044 | 0 | 36.31 | N/A | |
| T20I | 102 | 1495 | 0 | 19.41 | N/A | |
| Mohammad Ashraful | Test | 61 | 2737 | 8 | 24.00 | 57.62 |
| ODI | 177 | 3468 | 20 | 22.23 | 50.85 | |
| T20I | 23 | 450 | 0 | 19.57 | N/A | |
| Rubel Hossain | Test | 27 | 131 | 36 | 7.29 | 76.77 |
| ODI | 104 | 542 | 129 | 9.52 | 34.27 | |
| T20I | 28 | 36 | 28 | 9.00 | 29.50 | |
| Habibul Bashar | Test | 50 | 3026 | 0 | 30.87 | N/A |
| ODI | 111 | 2168 | 0 | 21.68 | N/A | |
| T20I | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | N/A | |
| Mohammad Rafique | Test | 33 | 1059 | 100 | 18.60 | 40.76 |
| ODI | 125 | 1191 | 119 | 13.61 | 38.97 | |
| T20I | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10.00 | N/A | |
| Abdur Razzak | Test | 13 | 346 | 23 | 13.84 | 42.17 |
| ODI | 153 | 576 | 207 | 8.35 | 29.29 | |
| T20I | 34 | 89 | 44 | 8.09 | 20.81 | |
| Tamim Iqbal | Test | 70 | 5134 | 1 | 38.89 | 107.00 |
| ODI | 241 | 8313 | 0 | 36.74 | N/A | |
| T20I | 78 | 1758 | 0 | 24.08 | N/A |
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