Coming in with Bangladesh in trouble is nothing new for Mushfiqur Rahim. It’s a role he’s embraced since he was a teenager in 2005 — his boyish face and disarming smile belying the grit beneath, the grit of a cricketer who has spent two decades cushioning the tremors of Bangladesh’s batting collapses like a sponge soaking pressure.
That pressure became familiar long before it became routine.
Rahim arrived at a time of strategic upheaval in Bangladesh cricket. In 2005, the selectors — led by a visionary think tank comprising Dav Whatmore, Steve McInnes, and Arafat Rahman — made an audacious call to build for the future. Out went the old guard, despite the criticism of so-called "paid experts"; in came a clutch of raw, untested youth, among whom Mushfiqur was the cornerstone.
That decision would, with time, prove inspired.
A Productive Partnership
Fast forward to Galle in 2025. Najmul Hossain Shanto had just faced three deliveries when Mushfiqur walked in at 45 for 3 — a precarious yet familiar scenario. On his sixth ball, Shanto danced down the track and lofted one over the bowler’s head, signalling intent. It wasn’t reckless aggression, but a calm defiance. It was as though the innings had inhaled new air.
Despite a pitch that looked flatter than usual on Day 1, Bangladesh resisted the urge to accelerate. Galle demands respect, not bravado. Bat first, bat long. That has long been the script.
Sri Lanka, buoyed by Angelo Mathews’ farewell and Tharindu Rathnayake’s dream debut (including a double-strike in consecutive overs), might have imagined a different story unfolding. But they hadn’t accounted for Mushfiqur and Shanto’s poise.
The pair weathered the storm, punished loose deliveries, and ran with urgency. By lunch on Day 2, Bangladesh had crossed 400. The duo's partnership had swelled to 247 runs — both unbeaten, Shanto on 136, Mushfiqur on 105.
It was Mushfiqur’s 12th Test century, ending a 14-innings drought. And yet, this was no free ride. Dhananjaya de Silva rotated the field shrewdly. Sri Lanka’s bowlers probed, particularly targeting Mushfiqur’s patience. He survived 23 balls in the nineties before nudging into three figures in the 86th over.
For Shanto, it was a return to rhythm — his first Test ton since November 2023. For Mushfiqur, it was a full-circle moment in Galle, where 12 years ago he etched his name in Bangladesh’s history books with the team’s first Test double-century.
A Career of Two Halves
Rahim’s career has been, in many ways, a study in duality.
He debuted before MS Dhoni, Kevin Pietersen, Michael Hussey, and Alastair Cook. Nearly two decades later, he remains the last man standing from the Class of 2005 in active Test cricket. And yet, he has rarely been named in conversations about the greats of the modern era. That is both a disservice and an inevitability.
The first half of his career was marked by promise without potency — 12 Tests in, he averaged under 20. His first Test hundred came in 2010 against India. The next arrived three years later. By the end of 2015, Rahim’s average had clawed its way to 32.31 — decent, but not dazzling.
And then came the pivot.
2017 marked a seismic shift. In Wellington, alongside Shakib Al Hasan, Rahim stitched together a record-breaking 359-run partnership against a formidable New Zealand attack. His 159 — the highest by an Asian wicketkeeper in a SENA country — heralded a new chapter. From that point on, Rahim transformed into one of the most consistent Test performers of his generation.
Since that Wellington innings, he has amassed 3,410 runs in 47 Tests at an average of 44.86. Only four players globally have scored more at a higher average during this span. Rahim’s numbers have outstripped Virat Kohli (44.43), Usman Khawaja (44.35), and Babar Azam (43.82) in that period — a stunning metric for a man often left out of elite lists.
And yet, perception lags behind reality.
Limited by Circumstance, Not by Skill
Rahim’s ascent has been constrained by the asymmetries of Test cricket. He has played only 14 Tests in SENA countries, averaging 21.92. Six of those came after 2017 — two in New Zealand, where he averaged 94.50, and four in South Africa, where he struggled at 19. No Tests in England or Australia since 2016. Even in Bangladesh, SENA opposition has been sporadic.
That uneven exposure has distorted the perception of Rahim’s quality. The weight given to performances in SENA countries remains the litmus test for batting greatness. And Rahim has had neither the platform nor the privileges to make that case fully.
What he has done is maximize every controllable within his grasp.
Since 2017, his home and away averages are strikingly consistent: 43.93 and 46.15. His centuries span the globe — from Galle to Rawalpindi, Hyderabad to Wellington. At home, he has flourished: three unbeaten scores over 175, including two double centuries. Since 2020, his Test average of 46.42 eclipses Steve Smith’s 46.17 — a quiet, almost ironic, footnote in cricket's statistical archives.
A Legacy Cast in Grit, Not Glamour
Rahim has always been a cricketer's cricketer. Understated. Uncelebrated. Yet unmistakably elite. His skill against spin is matched by few. His glove work may have often taken a back seat to his batting, but it was never unworthy. In hindsight, had he relinquished the gloves earlier, he might have soared higher with the bat. But Rahim chose devotion over convenience.
He has been criticized for wearing his heart on his sleeve — sometimes too tightly. The emotional strain of carrying Bangladesh’s middle order and the added burden of wicketkeeping may have exacted a toll. But that emotional core also fuelled his longevity, his resilience, and his quiet dominance.
Mushfiqur Rahim will perhaps never be counted among the pantheon of global greats. But within the context of Bangladesh cricket — and indeed, the global narrative of undervalued brilliance — he stands tall.
Not every great player makes headlines. Some, like Rahim, make history — quietly, persistently, and with unwavering grace.
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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