Cook and Rahim pose with the trophy after the series finished as a 1-1 draw
Image courtesy of: Zimbio
History was made on Sunday as Bangladesh defeated England for the first time in Test cricket courtesy of yet another six-wicket haul by Mehedi Hasan.
Mehedi proved to be too much for England to handle once again as Bangladesh won the match in Mirpur by 108 runs. As a result of Bangladesh’s landmark victory, the series ended as a 1-1 draw.
Hasan, who made his debut in the first Test, etched his name in the record books as he took 19 wickets in the two-Test series, beating the previous record of 18, which was set by Enamul Haque and Shakib Al Hasan.
Furthermore, the 19-year-old took 12 wickets altogether in the second Test, the joint highest by a Bangladesh bowler as Enamul achieved the same feat against Zimbabwe back in 2005.
In addition to all this, Mehedi is also just the sixth bowler in history to take three five-wicket hauls in his first two Tests. The other players that did this include Narendra Hirwani, Clarrie Grimmet, Tom Richardson, Sydney Barnes and Rodney Hogg.
Starting off the day on 152/3, Imrul Kayes and Al Hasan managed to amass a 48-run partnership before Kayes was given out lbw off the bowling of Moeen Ali for 78, which came off 120 balls and included nine boundaries.
Al Hasan went on to score 41 runs before he was cleaned bowled by Adil Rashid. After this, Bangladesh completely collapsed as they went from 238/5 to being bowled out for 296, which set England a target of 273 to win.
Rashid was the pick of the bowlers with four wickets, while Ben Stokes snapped up three, debutant Zafar Ansari took two and Moeen chipped in with one.
Chasing 273 to win, England got off to a brilliant start as captain Alastair Cook and Ben Duckett put together a 100-run partnership, during which Duckett brought up his fifty, before he was cleaned up by Mehedi for 56 off 64 balls, which included seven boundaries and a six.
Duckett scored his maiden Test half-century
Image courtesy of: Zimbio
Joe Root, Gary Ballance and Moeen followed soon after, while Cook went on to make 59 off 117 deliveries, which included five boundaries, before he was dismissed by Mehedi.
Cook made his 52nd Test fifty
Image courtesy of: Zimbio
Mehedi and Al Hasan continued to wreak havoc on England’s batting line-up after Cook was back in the pavilion and the tourists ended up imploding for a dismal score of 164 to hand Bangladesh their first victory against an opposition other than Zimbabwe or the West Indies.
Mehedi finished with six wickets to his name, while Al Hasan claimed four.
Mehedi finished with figures of 6-77 off 21.3 overs
Image courtesy of: Zimbio
Cook was less than impressed with his side’s performance, and said: “270 would have been a helluva chase…probably, today, we showed our inexperience in these conditions. When the ball got rolling we couldn’t stop it. If I’m honest [we] shouldn’t have been chasing 270, we had four or five chances. We’ve got to learn fast, there’s a lot of talent, the experience will help us if we can take things out of it. We had our chances here.
“Yesterday evening we didn’t bowled great and often lost too many wickets early. You can chat all you want, [but] it’s about performing. I’m really glad I’ve been able to lead an England side here, so many people came out to support us. People need to come here and play cricket. You can see their development. At home they will be a tough side to beat. They have a lot of good spinners. It’s not easy for me to say, but it’s a good win for Bangladesh cricket. Maybe some things are bigger than one game.”
Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim was over the moon due to his side’s iconic win, and said: “It’s a great moment for Bangladesh cricket. It was up and down and [we] never knew which team would win. The coach was a bit fired up at tea, we didn’t bowl too well. Then they tried to bowl in good areas and did really well. The bowlers did a great job. We didn’t think Mehedi will shine like this. He’s a good batsman as well and hopefully will be a great all-rounder for Bangladesh.
“In the last two years we’ve played well at home, but our next challenge is overseas. We have to adapt really well. You can’t get home conditions everywhere. We are getting there, hopefully if we play more Tests there will be more good results. Hopefully ICC and other boards will send us series against the big boys. I also want to say thanks to the ECB for coming and the security teams.”
Mehedi was named Man of the Match, and said: “I’m really happy, it’s an exciting moment for me. Thanks to all my team-mates and all their support. The senior players helped me when I was nervous.”