5 best Test Innings by Bangladesh batters away from home

Bangladesh created history this past week by defeating New Zealand at Mount Maunganui by eight wickets. This was just their sixth away win ever, and their first in a SENA nation. It was a complete team performance as four batters scored 50+ scores and the same number of bowlers picked up three or more wickets across the two innings.

Though they lost the 2nd test comprehensively, the drawn series was a huge result for the team. They have won two Away series so far - against West Indies in 2009 and a 1-match series against Zimbabwe in 2021. A drawn series against the WTC holders will do a world of good for their confidence.

Bangladesh have played 61 tests in away conditions since their Test debut in 2001 - with six wins, four draws and 51 losses. More often than not, these wins have been crafted by a mix of exceptional batting performances and crafty spin. In this article, we look at the four best batting performances by their batters in Test cricket.

Tamim Iqbal - 128 vs West Indies at Kingstown (2009)

Bangladesh’s first-ever away series win was thanks mainly to a measured century from Tamim Iqbal - arguably their greatest opener ever. As Bangladesh came into bat in the second innings, they were facing a deficit of 69 runs. Tamim Iqbal, along with Imrul Kayes and Junaid Siddiqui, punched above their weight as they hacked away at the lead.

Tamim Iqbal was the second batter to fall with the score at 228 and the lead at 159. The rest of the team combined to score 117 more runs as West Indies were set a target of 277 in the 4th innings. The West Indies ultimately fell short by 95 runs. Tamim Iqbal was, rightfully, awarded the Man of the Match award.

Shakib Al Hasan - 116 vs Sri Lanka at Colombo (2017)

A list of Bangladeshi batters cannot be complete without Shakib Al Hasan making an appearance. Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first - scoring a handy 338 in the first innings. The team was down to 192-4 when Shakib walked in to bat. Bangladesh quickly lost their fifth wicket with the score at 198.

Shakib Al Hasan - Extraordinaire with the bat

Shakib Al Hasan started a fascinating counter-attack as he, along with Mushfiqur Rahim and Mosaddek Hossain, took the attack to the Sri Lankan bowlers. Though he scored just ten 4s, Shakib kept pinching 1s and 2s, as he reached his century off just 143 balls.

Shakib was the seventh man dismissed with the score at 421. Bangladesh had built a handy lead and there was no looking back from there as they won the match by four wickets.

Mushfiqur Rahim - 200 vs Sri Lanka at Galle (2013)

Mushfiqur Rahim is the only Bangladeshi batter to score a double century away from home and to have scored three double centuries. He was at his glorious best on this day in Galle.

The Tigers were down 4-177 after Sri Lanka had batted first and scored a mammoth 570/4d. Mushfiqur Rahim, along with Mohammad Ashraful, embarked on a 259-run stand that deflated the Sri Lankan bowling attack.

A rock in the middle order - Mushfiqur Rahim

Ashraful was dismissed for 190 but Mushfiqur kept going and got the first double-century of his career. His knock was laced with 22 fours and a solitary six. Mushfiqur Rahim was instrumental in taking the team to a mammoth 638 - their highest-ever test score, which also guaranteed a draw for the team.

Mominul Haque - 88 vs New Zealand at Mount Maunganui (2022)

It was tough to pick just one half-century out of the four the team scored in this match. But Mominul Haque’s 88 makes the cut due to the time he spent at the crease during his innings to ensure his team reached a good enough total. Mominul Haque walked into bat with the score at 147-2 and witnessed a mini-collapse as Bangladesh were four down for 203.

Mominul Haque batted for a little more than six hours and almost 100 overs as he pushed the score to 361-5 - a 33-run lead at that point. The other batters managed to push the lead to 130. The rest, as they say, is history and it was a monumental victory in the history of Bangladeshi cricket.

Litton Das - 102 vs New Zealand at Christchurch (2022)

New Zealand were back to their best in the second Test of the series. After both teams had finished their first innings, the Tigers were facing a deficit of 395 runs and were following-on. The match looked like a lost cause but the Tigers put on a fantastic fight in the second innings.

A counter-attacking century from Litton Das

No one was better than Litton Das. Walking in to bat with the score at 105-3, he was a man on a mission as he embarked on a fascinating counter-attack. Das' innings was laced with 14 fours and one six.

He was particularly brutal against Trent Boult and Kyle Jamieson, depositing them to multiple boundaries in succession. Though they lost the match by an innings, Litton Das' knock was truly a coming-of-age performance for him.