Afghanistan were bowled out for 146 runs in their first innings, and off-spinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz became just the third Bangladeshi bowler to reach 150 wickets in Tests when he had Karim Janat stumped.
The milestone was attained in the 25-year-old’s 39th Test. The first player to do so was Shakib Al Hasan with 233 Test wickets, followed by Taijul Islam with 177.
In his first Test match for Bangladesh in 2016, Miraz got 19 wickets—the most ever by a Bangladeshi bowler—in a series against England.
The all-rounder had his ups and downs before settling into a steady role for the Tigers. Miraz thinks he still has a ways to go.
In 2016, I made my debut in the sport of Test cricket, and in my first two matches, I took 19 wickets. Miraz remarked on Thursday, “It feels great to have 150 wickets to my credit, and it was a significant milestone when I made my debut.
“Since then, I’ve had both highs and lows; for example, against South Africa, I went through a stretch when I was unable to pick up a wicket despite bowling seventy overs. So, when I think back, I feel satisfied. “Even though I’ve already taken 150 wickets, I know there’s a long way to go if I’m going to make a significant contribution to the Bangladesh team,” he remarked.
Miraz achieved the milestone of 100 Test wickets faster than any other Bangladeshi bowler, doing so in only 24 matches.
Since we are always playing, we may go through periods of excellent and terrible performance. It’s hard for a player to stay constant. But we need to have robust mental fortitude to recover from setbacks.
This is the last Test before the World Cup, so he said, “I will try to remain consistent and prepare better for the upcoming Tests and perform.” The team will play two more Test matches later this year.