Australia vs Bangladesh 1st Test – Player Ratings
In what was a historic game for the hosts, Bangladesh beat Australia for the first time in Tests to register only their 10th Test wins in 101 Test matches. Star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan wreaked havoc with his 10-wicket haul as Australia’s famed batting lineup fell short of 20 runs in the second innings chase of 264.
Here are the ratings for the Bangladeshi Tigers.
Tamim Iqbal – 8/10
When Bangladesh were struggling in the first innings, Iqbal scored a gritty 71 in his significant partnership with Shakib al Hasan. In the second innings too, he led Bangladesh’s innings with his knock of 78. He was the highest run-getter in the game with 149 runs.
Soumya Sarkar – 5/10
Soumya Sarkar could manage only eight and 15 runs from both the innings respectively. But his run out of Usman Khawaja, along with some brilliant catches, earns him five points.
Imrul Kayes – 1/10
Batting at No. 3, Kayes scored a duck and 2 runs in both the innings respectively. The opening batsman is certainly not finding himself comfortable at no. 3, and the Bangladesh management will have to look for alternatives.
Mushfiqur Rahim – 7/10
Mushfiqur Rahim was good in all three departments – captaining, wicketkeeping and batting. He scored a beneficial 41 in the second innings after only 18 in the first innings. His method of setting up attacking fields was the key to Australia’s batting debacle. With the gloves too he rarely made any mistakes, despite the vicious spin and uneven bounce.
Shakib al Hasan – 10/10
The Man of the Match had an outstanding game, both with the willow and cherry. In the first innings, Shakib, in his attempt to resurrect Bangladesh’s collapse, scored 84 runs which took the hosts to 260. With the ball, he became only the fourth bowler to have a five-wicket haul against all Test playing countries. Shakib’s 10-wicket haul ripped through Australia’s famed batting line-up in both the innings.
Sabbir Rahman – 5/10
After getting out on a golden duck in the first innings, Rahman scored a 21 in the second innings which was significant in the context of the game. His innings was also laced by 2 boundaries and a six.
Nasir Hossain – 6/10
After the partnership between Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan came to an end in the first innings, it was Nasir who took up the responsibility of taking the team to a good score with his crucial 23 runs, which contained three boundaries. With the ball, he bowled only four overs since the other bowlers were performing well.
Mehidy Hasan – 8/10
The all-rounder chipped in with both the bat and all. He picked up three vital wickets in the first innings, that of David Warner, Steve Smith and Matthew Wade. In his the second innings too, he played the perfect second fiddle to Shakib, picking up two crucial wickets, that of Matt Renshaw and Nathan Lyon.
His 26 runs with the bat in the second innings propelled the hosts to a competitive score.
Taijul Islam – 7/10
The lesser-talked player of the game was Taijul Islam. Not just did he picked up four wickets in the game, he also kept on building pressure on the Aussies with his brilliant line and length.
Shiaful Islam – 5/10
Due to obvious reasons, seamers were not used often on a spin-friendly track. Islam bowled only six overs in the game. His only contribution was with the bat when he chipped in 17 runs in the first innings to help his team get to a decent score.
Mustafizur Rahman – 4/10
Rahman was also not utilized much in a game dominated by the spinners. He bowled just nine overs in total.