Mushfiqur Rahim
Bangladeshi wicket-keeper batsman who captained the national cricket team and became the first Bangladeshi to score a double century in Test cricket.
Biography
Mushfiqur Rahim, a Bangladeshi international cricketer, was born on May 9, 1987, in Bogura. He began playing internationally in 2005 against England when he was just 18 years and 17 days old, making him the second-youngest player, after Sachin Tendulkar, to play Test cricket at Lord's. Initially picked as a specialist batsman for his first Test match, Rahim later became Bangladesh's top wicket-keeper batsman and eventually captained the national team.
Throughout his career, Rahim has become Bangladesh's top run-scorer in all three international formats. His ability to bat in various positions has been highlighted, with former Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons saying Rahim could bat anywhere from positions one to six in the top order. A defining moment came in 2010 during a Test match against India when he scored a fast century, the quickest by any Bangladeshi player so far.
Rahim holds many records in international cricket, especially for Bangladesh. He was the first Bangladeshi batsman to score a double century in Test cricket and is still the highest individual scorer for Bangladesh in that format. Beyond national records, he became the first and only wicketkeeper-batsman in Test history to score two double-hundreds. Moreover, he remains the only Bangladeshi player with three double-hundreds in Tests.
As both a batsman and wicket-keeper, Rahim has scored over 11,000 international runs and made more than 400 dismissals. His consistent performance across formats makes him one of the few wicketkeepers with over 1,000 runs in each international format. Currently, he continues his international career by playing solely in the Test format, being the only Bangladeshi player with 150 international match wins. His career also includes rare occurrences, such as becoming the second cricketer in Test history after Len Hutton to be dismissed for obstructing the field when he handled the ball with his gloves during a match against New Zealand in December 2023.
Before Fame
Mushfiqur Rahim was born and raised in Bogura, where he started learning cricket at Bogura Zilla School. He further developed his cricket skills at Bangladesh Krira Shiksha Pratisthan, a sports education institution that has produced many of Bangladesh's international cricketers. Rahim also attended Jahangirnagar University while building his cricket career.
Rahim quickly rose through Bangladesh's cricket ranks around the same time the country became a Test-playing nation in 2000. Being selected for the national team at such a young age showed his outstanding talent and addressed Bangladesh's need to cultivate local players who could compete at the top level of international cricket.
Key Achievements
- First Bangladeshi batsman to score a double century in Test cricket
- Highest run scorer for Bangladesh across all three international formats with over 11,000 runs
- First and only wicketkeeper-batsman to score two double-hundreds in Test cricket history
- Captained the Bangladesh national cricket team
- Only Bangladeshi player to win 150 international matches
Did You Know?
- 01.He became only the second cricketer in Test cricket history after Len Hutton to be dismissed for obstructing the field, occurring during a match against New Zealand in December 2023
- 02.He is the only wicketkeeper-batsman in Test cricket history to score two double-hundreds
- 03.His quick century against India in 2010 remains the fastest century scored by any Bangladeshi batsman
- 04.He was initially selected as a specialist batsman for his first Test match before becoming Bangladesh's regular wicket-keeper
- 05.He is the only Bangladeshi player to achieve 150 international match victories