OTD| Star Bangladesh wicketkeeper batter Mushfiqur Rahim was born in 1987

One of the greatest cricketers Bangladesh has ever produced, Mushfiqur Rahim is celebrating his 37th birthday on 9th May 2024. He is lightning-quick behind the stumps and flamboyant with the bat. Having played over 400 international matches to date, the former Bangladesh captain has contributed immensely to the growth of his national team over the years.

Born in Bogura, a major commercial hub in Northern Bangladesh, Rahim made his foray into international cricket during the 2005 tour of England. Aged just 18 at the time, he became the second-youngest, after Sachin Tendulkar, to play Test cricket at the iconic Lord’s stadium. He was considered a backup option to Khaled Mashud, but impressed everyone with his consistent performances early in his career and became the first-choice wicket-keeper at the 2007 World Cup in West Indies.

Batting down the order, Rahim continued to perform consistently and slowly cemented his place in all formats of the game. His first notable knock in the longer format of the game came in a Test against India in 2010, a quickfire century, the fastest by any Bangladesh batter. He captained the Tigers in the 2012 Asia Cup and helped them reach the final for the first time, where they lost to Pakistan. 

Records are plenty for Bangladesh’s longest-serving cricketer 

With a career spanning from 2005 till date, Mushfiqur Rahim has been one of the most accomplished cricketers in Bangladesh’s history. He is one of the few wicketkeepers to have scored over 1000 runs in all formats. He is the first and only keeper-batter to score two double centuries in Test cricket and the first and only Bangladeshi batter to score three double tons in this format. 

Having played 461 internationals, Rahim is the only Bangladeshi player to win 150 internationals. With 14968 runs, Rahim is the second-highest run-scorer for his country, behind opener Tamim Iqbal (15192). In September 2022, a few months before the T20 World Cup, Rahim surprisingly announced his retirement from the shortest format of the game. Notably, he became the first Bangladesh batter to be dismissed for ‘obstructing the field’ during the second Test against New Zealand in December 2023.