Returning to the squad for the Sylhet Test after missing the Mirpur match in Dhaka due to injury, veteran batter Mushfiqur Rahim has etched his name permanently into the history of Bangladesh cricket. The 39-year-old star became the first Bangladeshi batter to cross the monumental 7,000-run milestone in red-ball international Test cricket.
He achieved this historic landmark during the second session on the fifth and final day of the second Test against the West Indies at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Monday.
Heading into the Sylhet Test, Mushfiqur required 43 runs to reach the 7,000-run mark. After falling for 34 in the first innings, the wait was briefly prolonged. He finally completed the required 9 runs in the second innings during the 20th over, taking a single off West Indies left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican amidst a top-order batting collapse.
Mushfiqur reached this milestone in his 104th Test match (197th innings). Prior to this match, his red-ball career tally stood at 6,957 runs across 195 innings at an average of 39.08, featuring 14 centuries and 30 half-centuries.
Set a daunting target of 369 runs by the West Indies in the final innings, Bangladesh found themselves in trouble at 40/2 in the opening session. Mushfiqur is currently leading Bangladesh’s second-innings resistance alongside Towhid Hridoy, who scored a historic double century in the first innings of this Test.
