DHAKA: Bangladesh’s second ODI against West Indies on today (Tuesday) is set to be the 100th international match to feature the quintet of Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah.
This is hardly rare in world cricket — there have been 64 such quintets — but it is a unique milestone given that the Bangladesh Cricket Board, team management and selectors have not always given players, especially seniors, a long rope.
Shakib is the best cricketer Bangladesh has ever produced, the superstar all-rounder reaching new heights every season. Tamim holds most of the team’s batting records, having transformed himself, through changed fitness habits, from a fiery young opener to Bangladesh’s top-order rock, and has performed consistently since 2015.
Mushfiqur, with the most overseas Test hundreds for Bangladesh, is the middle-order enforcer. Mahmudullah has excelled in niche roles, be it as the designated death-overs hitter in the shorter formats, or in the Test middle order with two tough hundreds recently.
Mashrafe, the oldest of the five, has overcome career-threatening injuries to remain the team’s leading fast bowler. Since 2015, he has also shaped the side’s transformation, as a shrewd leader in limited-overs cricket and an excellent communicator in the dressing room.
Since Mahmudullah’s debut in July 2007, the group has regularly played together. It’s no coincidence that Bangladesh have progressed rapidly in this period, with milestones like the quarter-final appearance in the 2015 World Cup, ODI series wins over India, Pakistan and South Africa in 2015, and this year’s limited-overs series wins over West Indies.
Shakib, Tamim, Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah have also helped engineer Test wins over Australia, England and Sri Lanka over the last two years, and the recent 2-0 win against West Indies at home.
When they came together, Bangladesh had only begun winning regularly against teams like Kenya and Zimbabwe, with the odd flash-in-the-pan performance against the bigger teams. Until December 2006, Bangladesh had lost 114 of their 147 international matches since gaining Test status.
The side appeared unsettled until former captain Faruque Ahmed’s first stint as chief selector, and Dav Whatmore, during his tenure as coach between 2003 and 2007, understood the need for a core group.
The five players were crucial during Jamie Siddons’ stint as head coach, particularly during the transition period in 2008, after several established Bangladesh cricketers played in the unauthorised ICL T20 tournament.
In 2010, Shakib rose to become the team’s best cricketer with a one-man show in the 4-0 ODI series win over New Zealand, achieved despite the absence of Tamim and Mashrafe, who were injured.
After a tough 2011, the quintet nearly won Bangladesh the 2012 Asia Cup before helping beat West Indies 3-2 in a home ODI series the same year. In the following year, they blanked New Zealand 3-0 at home.
The quintet’s impact is also seen in a more positive and professional dressing-room environment. They have embraced the need to address specifics in both skills and fitness training, and have also influenced the BCB to think differently about its cricketers.