Bangladesh have played a total of 22 Test matches against Sri Lanka since the two teams first met in September 2001. There were some remarkable individual performances despite the fact that Bangladesh have only won one Test match against Sri Lanka. Since both teams played in subcontinent conditions, spinners have dominated the top bowling performances leaderboard. Let’s take a look at five of Bangladesh’s top Test bowling performances against Sri Lanka so far, ahead of the BAN vs SL series 2022.
Best Test Bowling Performances by Bangladesh Players against Sri Lanka
Here are five notable bowling efforts by Bangladeshi players in Tests against Sri Lanka.
5) Mohammad Rafique: 5/114 (R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, 2005)
The first Bangladesh bowler who picked a fifer against Sri Lanka in the Test format was Mohammad Rafique. The left-arm spinner was one of the most sought-after players in Bangladesh in early 2000. Rafique bagged a fifer in Sri Lanka’s first innings of the first Test in 2005 before the hosts declared their innings on 370/9d.
He finished his spell with 37-9-114-5. Bangladesh went on to lose the contest by an innings margin because of their disappointing batting performances in both innings.
4) Shahadat Hossain: 5/86 (Shaheed Chandu Stadium, Bogra, 2006)
One of Bangladesh’s fastest bowlers in the early 2000s was Shahadat Hossain. He has the most five-wicket haul (4) in an innings for Bangladesh among the pacers. One of his fifers came against Sri Lanka back in the 2006 home series.
Shahadat picked up five wickets in Sri Lanka’s first innings of the second Test at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogra. His final bowling figure stood at 21.3-2-86-5. In their first innings, Bangladesh bowled Sri Lanka out for 316. The hosts eventually lost the contest by 10 wickets.
3) Mustafizur Rahman: 3/78 (P Sara Oval, Colombo, 2017)
Bangladesh’s only victory against Sri Lanka to date came in 2017 away from home. Left-arm medium-pacer, Mustafizur Rahman played an important role with the ball in Sri Lanka’s second innings of the second Test.
He removed three crucial Lankan batters and put the hosts under pressure. Sri Lanka were bowled out for 319 in their second innings, while Mustafizur Rahman finished his spell with 23-3-78-3. It was a brilliant effort by him to ensure Bangladesh had a comfortable total to chase.
2) Shakib Al Hasan: 4/74 (P Sara Oval, Colombo, 2017)
Bangladesh’s ace all-rounder, Shakib Al Hasan, had a brilliant outing in Bangladesh’s historic victory in their 100th Test. In particular, his 4-wicket haul in the second innings helped Bangladesh bowl Sri Lanka out for 319. Shakib finished his spell with 36.2-9-74-4. Bangladesh only needed 191 runs to clinch the second match of the series, which they did quite comfortably in the end.
1) Shakib Al Hasan: 5/70 (Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur)
In 2008, Bangladesh put up a great fight against Sri Lanka in a home series Test match. They had created a genuine opportunity to upset a very strong Lankan Test side thanks to a great bowling performance in Sri Lanka’s first innings and Bangladesh’s second innings.
Shakib Al Hasan was magnificent with his left-arm spin as a strong Sri Lankan side was bowled out for 293. Shakib Al Hasan’s spell finished with 28.4-4-70-5. It has been one of the most dominant bowling performances by any Bangladesh bowler against Sri Lanka in the Test format.
Bottom Line
Over the years, Bangladesh bowlers have had a harder time than the batters in the longer-version format against Sri Lanka. One of the reasons for this is that bowlers have had fewer opportunities than batters, as Sri Lanka have sealed eight innings victories out of seventeen against Bangladesh.
In all, Bangladesh bowlers have recorded five five-wicket hauls against Sri Lanka, although not all of them have had the same effect. Therefore, not all five-wicket hauls were considered in the top five Bangladesh bowling performances in Tests against Sri Lanka. Bangladesh players will hopefully put in even more outstanding performances in the upcoming series against Sri Lanka.
Source: United News of Bangladesh