Bangladesh v Australia, 1st Test: Bangladesh Player Ratings

In the first Test match at Dhaka, it was the host who managed to create history as they defeated Australia for the first time in Tests. It was the Bangladeshi talisman Shakib al Hasan who stood up to his reputation and made the Kangaroos bow down in a dustbowl. After winning the toss, Bangladesh opted to bat first and scored an above par score of 260, thanks to contributions from Tamim Iqbal and Shakib al Hasan under pressure.

Australians conceded a lead of 43 to the hosts as they were dismissed for 217 in reply. However, the Tigers kept their nerves as the pitch started to deteriorate further and managed to post a challenging target of 265 in front of Australia. After a brilliant hundred from David Warner, the chances of Bangladesh winning the match remained bleak but the hosts believed and dismissed the Aussies within the required total as the Tigers won the match by 20 runs. Shakib al Hasan was adjudged as the man of the match for his all round efforts.

Tamim Iqbal – 9/10

Watching Tamim Iqbal bat against Australia, one has to admit that the southpaw has really come off ages, from being a reckless flashy aggressive stroke maker to being Mr Consistent and reliable for Bangladesh. When the chips were down in the first innings, he scored a priceless knock of 71 while stitching a vital partnership with Shakib al Hasan at the other end. In the second innings, he took the game away from the visitors with yet another sensational knock of 78 on a difficult pitch.

Soumya Sarkar – 5/10

The dismal form of Soumya Sarkar continued in the ongoing Rocket Test series as well. Sarkar was dismissed off a peach of a delivery from Cummins in the first innings. He had an opportunity to make it count in the second innings after getting a start but gave it away while trying to attack the bowler who dismissed him in the first innings. That said, took some brilliant catches in close quarters and ran out Usman Khawaja with his spontaneity. To accommodate Sarkar in the side, Imrul Kayes is forced to bat at number 3 and he too has looked out of sorts lately.

Imrul Kayes – 2/10

With Sarkar and Iqbal occupying the opening slot, Kayes is slotted to bat at number 3 and clearly, the left hander does not have the game for playing at number 3. With the dismal form of Sarkar and Kayes looking uncomfortable in the designated position, Bangladesh is clearly wasting two spots in their lineup and the think tank might have to address the issue. Kayes scored a duck and 2 runs in the Test match

Mushfiqur Rahim – 8/10

Mushfiqur Rahim led from the front with his wicketkeeping, captaincy and with the bat. Bangladesh needed someone to stretch the first innings lead while setting a target for Australia. He scored a valuable 41 after 18 in the first innings. He rotated his spinners efficiently and set attacking fields even after Australians forged partnerships. It was a difficult wicket to also keep wickets with the ball staying low or bouncing awkwardly high. Very seldom did we see him fumble or misfield.

Shakib al Hasan – 9.5/10

Shakib al Hasan had a memorable Test match with both bat and the ball. When the chips were down at 10/3, he forged a counter attacking partnership with Tamim Iqbal and scored a priceless 84 as Bangladesh posted an above par total on the wicket.

With the ball, he picked up a 10-wicket haul in the match by clinching a couple of five wickets haul in both the innings. He now has a five wicket haul against all Test playing nation to join the likes of Dale Steyn, Rangana Herath and Muttiah Muralitharan. He is only the second player in Tests to take 10 wicket haul in the match and score 50 runs in a single match after Richard Hadlee.

Sabbir Rahman –  6/10

After getting out on a golden duck in the first innings, Rahman supported Rahim by forging an important partnership which took the game further away from the opposition. He scored a breezy knock of 21, which contained 2 boundaries and a maximum. One thing with Sabbir Rahman is that he never scores ugly runs and is one of most elegant players to watch in the Bangladesh camp.

Nasir Hossain – 6.5/10

Nasir contributed with the bat and extended the first innings total after the wickets of Tamim Iqbal and Shakib al Hasan. His services with the ball were not required as the rest of the bowlers managed to do the job for Bangladesh. His watchful knock of 23 off 61 balls contained three boundaries. He bowled just four overs of the match sporadically.

Mehidy Hasan – 8.5/10

The other all rounder from Bangladesh, who had a brilliant Test match was Mehidy Hasan, who contributed with both bat and ball. In the first innings, he picked up three vital wickets and followed it up with a couple of wickets in the second innings. His knock of 26 in the second innings further frustrated the visitors.

Taijul Islam – 8/10

Another bowler who quietly did his job under the shadow of brilliance from Shakib al Hasan was Taijul Islam who kept on nagging the Aussies with his line and length on a difficult surface to bat on. He picked up three crucial wickets in the second innings, giving ample support to Shakib at the other end. He picked up the solitary wicket of Peter Handscomb in the first innings.

Shiaful Islam – 6/10

Due to the nature of the pitch, seam bowlers were hardly used by Bangladeshi captain Mushfiqur Rahim. Islam just bowled six tidy overs in the first innings and his services were not utilized in the second innings. He scored an important 17 runs in the first innings to frustrate the Australians further.

Mustafizur Rahman – 6/10

Just like Shiaful, Mustafizur “The Fizz” Rahman was under-bowled in the Test match as it was a spinner dominated the match. In total, he just bowled nine overs in the match.