3 reasons why Mushfiqur Rahim is Bangladesh's greatest batter of all time

Bangladesh batter Mushfiqur Rahim continued his incredible Test batting form in the first Test against Pakistan at Rawalpindi. The 37-year-old showed tremendous poise and endurance against an excellent Pakistan pace-attack to score a brilliant 191 off 341 deliveries.

Rahim's sublime knock included 22 boundaries and a maximum as he helped Bangladesh post a massive 565 from a precarious 147/3 in response to Pakistan's first-innings total of 448/6 declared.

It was the veteran's 11th Test century and 20th overall across formats, leading to discussions on whether he is Bangladesh's best-ever batter. After debuting for Bangladesh in 2005, Rahim has held the side's middle order together for almost two decades with several defiant and enterprising knocks.

While his closest competitors Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal might have something to say about Bangladesh's all-time best batter debate, Rahim certainly ticks most boxes for the throne.

Yet, in tribute to his most recent Test century which has Bangladesh in sight of a first victory over Pakistan in Tests, it is worth celebrating Rahim's illustrious international career.

On that note, here are three reasons why Mushfiqur Rahim is Bangladesh's greatest batter of all time.

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# 1 Consistency and Longevity

Rahim has played almost two decades for Bangladesh [Credit: Getty]

One of the primary checklist parameters to enter the all-time greatest status in consistency over a long period and Mushfiqur Rahim ticks the box in style. The 37-year-old has played the most matches across formats for Bangladesh with 462, highlighting his incredible longevity.

Rahim is their second-leading run-scorer across formats with 15,159 runs, only 33 runs behind first-place Tamim Iqbal. Yet, Rahim scores over Tamim in that almost all his runs have come while batting in the middle to lower-middle order compared to the latter predominantly opening in his career.

Furthermore, the champion cricketer has scored over 1,000 runs across formats in seven seasons. Rahim also has the second most number of centuries by a Bangladesh batter behind only Tamim (25) with 20.

What makes Rahim's numbers further exemplary is that he was also the wicket-keeper in 396 out of his 462 international games. His Test average of 39.11 is the highest for a Bangladesh batter with at least 1,000 runs.

Also, his ODI average of 36.92 is second only to Shakib Al Hasan among Bangladesh batters with at least 1,000 runs, highlighting his remarkable consistency.

The counting stats combined with the consistency and longevity across formats while batting in the difficult middle-order make Rahim stand out among Bangladesh batters.

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# 2 Match-winning impact

Rahim's ability to produce big scores in Tests remains unmatched in Bangladesh cricket [Credit: Getty]

Where Mushfiqur Rahim separates himself from the rest is the impact his runs have had on Bangladesh's wins. For starters, the 37-year-old boasts the most double centuries in Tests by a Bangladesh batter with three, with Shakib and Tamim the only others to even score 200+ once.

Even without the ongoing Test against Pakistan that Bangladesh are on course to win, Rahim's Test numbers in wins and losses form a story in itself. The resolute middle-order batter averages a stellar 51.70 with 1,396 runs in Bangladesh's 18 Test wins and boasts a 55.42 average in their 13 draws.

However, the average drops to only 32.44 in Bangladesh's 32 Test losses during his career, evidence of Rahim's runs directly impacting the result.

The story is similar in ODIs, with Rahim averaging an outstanding 46.59 at a strike rate of 87.05 in Bangladesh's 124 wins and only 30.19 at a strike rate of under 73 in their 140 defeats.

The experienced batter has also stepped up for Bangladesh in key ICC ODI tournaments, averaging almost 35 at a strike rate of 79.39 in World Cups and 40.75 at 77.25 in the Champions Trophy.

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# 3 Versatility

Rahim's ability to find gaps at any stage makes him Bangladesh's most versatile batter [Credit: Getty]

Even if the first two points had fans in two minds if Bangladesh's best-ever batter was Rahim or Tamim, the most important intangible of versatility should seal the deal in favor of the former.

Tamim has opened the batting in 451 out of his 452 international innings - a position accepted across the cricket world as easier to pile on numbers. Opening also requires lesser versatility when compared to a middle-order role, especially in white-ball cricket.

And yet, Rahim has come out with flying colors over an extended period, while batting in almost every batting position in the Bangladesh order. Rahim has batted everywhere from No. 2 to 9 in ODIs and scored 98 in his lone innings opening the batting.

He has batted at one drop 11 times and on 21 occasions in positions No. 7 and below. The other 220 innings have come at No. 4 (118), No. 5 (30), and No. 6 (72), showcasing his ability to willingly adapt to different roles and situations for team balance sake.

Yet, his performances have remained consistent with an average of over 42 at No. 4 and almost 38 at No. 6.

Similarly in T20Is, Rahim has batted at all positions from opening to No. 9, the hallmark of a batter that epitomizes optimum versatility.

Even in Tests, a format that often has batters batting in a stable position, Rahim has batted over 10 times everywhere from No. 4 to 8, with the majority coming at No. 5 (50) and No. 6 (57). Yet and still, the champion cricketer averages at least 32 in all five positions and almost 50 at No. 5.

The willingness to bat anywhere and everywhere with success across white and red balls for several years makes Rahim the undisputed greatest-ever Bangladesh batter.