20 batsmen whose Test average never dipped below 40: Part 1

(17) Mominul Haque (Bangladesh): 2013-Present

Mominul Haque is the first Bangladeshi batsman to score twin hundreds in a test match.

Matches: 29, Runs: 2170, Average: 43.40, Highest: 181, 100/50: 6/12.

Lowest Career Average: 41.60 (3rd Test)

In the era of the Big Four (Kohli, Kane, Root, and Smith), Mominul Haque has quickly established himself as one of the leading batsmen in world cricket. That Mominul had the potential to be Bangladesh's best ever batsman was never in doubt, but his ascend up to the top has been nothing short of staggering.

It is evident in the way the country views Mominul as well. When he was dropped for the home series against Australia in 2017, most of the questions directed towards the management were about Mominul's absence. He was reinstated in the side for the 2nd test of the series.

Mominul Haque made his test debut at the age of 21 in 2013. He scored a breezy 55 against Sri Lanka at Galle and has not looked back since. Mominul was the fastest Bangladeshi batsman to 2000 test runs and has scored 2170 runs in his career at an average of 43.40.

Despite being short in stature, Mominul is equally adept at playing pace as well as spin bowling. He recently became the first Bangladesh batsmen to score twin hundreds in a test match, when he scored 176 and 105 against Sri Lanka in January 2018.

After his first 3 test matches, Mominul averaged 41.60. One bad inning would have sunk his average, but the left-hander had other plans. Starting from his 4th test match, Mominul made a 50+ score in his next 11 tests, joining the likes of Virender Sehwag and Vivian Richards. His highest score of 181 also came during this period. Only Joe Root and Ab de Villiers (12) have done better than him in this regard.

Bangladesh has made significant progress in test cricket in recent times, and Mominul has been at the forefront of it. If Bangladesh is to continue on this path, Mominul has to take the mantle for them and make the transition from being a very good batsman to a great batsman. Mominul is the only Bangladesh batsman present on this list, and for Bangladesh to do well, he would have to stay here for the rest of his career.