Bangladesh beat Pakistan by 10 wickets at Rawalpindi on August 26 to add to their list of famous Test match wins. Here are their top five.
Beat England by 108 runs, Mirpur 2016/17
Bangladesh had won seven Test matches until the 2016/17 season, but five of them against Zimbabwe – a side that had problems to sort on and off the field. The other two came in the West Indies in 2009, when the hosts were forced to field a cohort of inexperienced cricketers once the first-choice players went on a strike.
Then came the Mirpur Test match against England, whom Bangladesh had beaten in the 2011 World Cup and knocked out of the 2015 World Cup. Tamim Iqbal’s 104 had taken Bangladesh to 220, but Mehidy Hasan Miraz (6-82) and Taijul Islam (3-65) could not prevent England from taking a 24-run lead. Bangladesh still set a target of 273, but England – 100-0 at tea on the third day – were all set to sweep the series 2-0.
Then Mehidy rose to the challenge again, claiming 6-77. Having chipped in with 1-44 and 41 in the Test match, Shakib Al Hasan supported him with 4-44. England collapsed to 164.
Beat Sri Lanka by four wickets, Colombo 2016/17
Long before their bizarre animosity took off in limited-overs cricket, Bangladesh celebrated their 100th Test match with a famous overseas triumph in Colombo. After Sri Lanka made 338, Bangladesh slumped from 95-1 to 198-5 before Shakib (116), Mushfiqur Rahim (52), and Mosaddek Hossain (75) lifted them to 467.
Shakib again came to the fray with 4-74, while Mustafizur Rahman got 3-78. Chasing 191 against Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera on a final-day pitch was always going to be a challenge, but Tamim Iqbal followed his 49 with a counterattacking 82 to keep Bangladesh in the hunt. They eventually won in the final session.
Beat Australia by 20 runs, Mirpur 2017
Things did not look good for the hosts once Pat Cummins reduced them to 10-3, but not for the first time did Tamim (71) and Shakib (84) join hands to bail them out of trouble. Bangladesh eventually made 260 before Shakib (5-68) and Mehidy (3-62) extracted a 43-run lead.
Yet again Tamim (78) came to the forefront, and with support from Mushfiqur (41), he pushed Australia’s target to 265. After Mehidy’s early strikes, David Warner lifted Australia from 28-2 to 158-2 before Shakib (5-85) and Taijul (3-60) took over. Despite Cummins’s late charge, Australia made only 244.
Beat New Zealand by eight wickets, Mount Maunganui 2021/22
Despite inspired spells from Shoriful Islam (3-69) and Mehidy (3-86), New Zealand rode on Devon Conway’s hundred to post 328. Then, against a four-pronged pace attack, Mahmudul Hasan Joy (78), Najmul Hossain Shanto (64), Mominul Haque (88), and Litton Das (86) all made fifties to secure a 130-run lead.
Bangladesh now needed a performance that would keep their target to within achievable limits. That came from Ebadot Hossain, who ran through the New Zealand line-up with 6-46, arguably the greatest Test spell match spell in Bangladesh history. Taskin Ahmed (3-36) chipped in as well, and from 136-2, the hosts were bowled out for 169.
New Zealand claimed two wickets, but Bangladesh completed the chase comfortably. It remains their only Test win against a full-strength side outside Asia and Zimbabwe.
Beat Pakistan by 10 wickets, Rawalpindi 2024
The Pakistan team management backed their fast bowlers enough to go into the Rawalpindi Test match without a specialist spinner. The Test match began late, Shan Masood declared on 448-6, and it all seemed justified when Bangladesh became 53-2 on the third morning.
But the tourists took control at this point. After Shadman Islam (93) and Mominul (50) added 94, Mushfiqur assumed control, carving out 191 over nearly nine hours of batting. Das (56) helped him put on 114 for the sixth wicket and Mehidy (77) 194 for the seventh, and Bangladesh eventually managed a 117-run lead.
Still, a draw seemed inevitable when Pakistan resumed the final day on 23-1 and reached 66-2. But Shakib (3-44) and Mehidy (4-21) came to the challenge yet again, and Pakistan were dismissed for 146 after an hour into the second session on the final day. Bangladesh won by 10 wickets.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
