Cricket News

Mushfiqur Rahim Becomes First Bangladesh Batter to Reach 7000 Test Runs

Mushfiqur Rahim becomes the first Bangladesh batter to reach 7000 Test runs in his 107th match, joining Gavaskar and Sobers in an elite list.

Mushfiqur Rahim Becomes First Bangladesh Batter to Reach 7000 Test Runs

Mushfiqur Rahim has become the first Bangladesh batter to reach 7000 Test runs, achieving the milestone in his 107th Test during the second match against West Indies in Sylhet. The landmark places him well clear of every other Bangladesh run-scorer and adds him to a short list of national run leaders.

Milestone Arrives During a Fifth-Day Chase

The milestone came on day 5 of the second Test, with Bangladesh chasing a target of 369. Bangladesh lost two early wickets, and Rahim and Towhid Hridoy then added a 50-run stand while rebuilding the innings.

Rahim had scored 34 in the first innings. The 7000-run mark added a statistical landmark to a match in which the team was still working to stabilise its chase.

Match Context at a Glance

MetricDetail
Fixture2nd Test, Bangladesh vs West Indies, Sylhet
Target set369 runs
Early wickets lost2
Hridoy-Rahim partnership (at time of reporting)50 runs

Career Numbers Behind the 7000 Runs

Rahim is playing his 107th Test and averages 39.17 with 14 centuries and 30 fifties. ESPNcricinfo notes he is also Bangladesh's most-capped Test cricketer and holds their record for most Test centuries.

The milestone reflects longevity as much as peak output. A 39.17 average sustained across 100-plus Tests is the foundation of the aggregate.

Rahim's Test Profile

StatisticValue
Test runs7000
Matches107
Average39.17
Centuries14
Fifties30

A Wide Lead Over Other Bangladesh Run-Scorers

Rahim leads Bangladesh's all-time Test run chart by a substantial margin. Mominul Haque is second on 5293, which is 1707 runs behind.

Tamim Iqbal (5134) and Shakib Al Hasan (4609) complete the top four. No other Bangladesh batter has yet reached 5500.

Most Test Runs for Bangladesh

RankPlayerTest RunsGap to Rahim
1Mushfiqur Rahim7000-
2Mominul Haque52931707
3Tamim Iqbal51341866
4Shakib Al Hasan46092391

How He Compares With Other First-to-7000 Batters

Rahim joins Sunil Gavaskar and Garfield Sobers among the first batters from their countries to reach 7000 Test runs. Measured by matches taken, his 107 is slower than most on the list.

Only Stephen Fleming of New Zealand (110 matches) needed more Tests. Sobers was fastest at 79 matches, and Hammond and Gavaskar each needed 80.

Matches Taken by the First 7000-Run Batter for Each Nation

PlayerNationMatchesYear
Garfield SobersWest Indies791971
Wally HammondEngland801946
Sunil GavaskarIndia801982
Greg ChappellAustralia871984
Mahela JayawardeneSri Lanka922007
Javed MiandadPakistan951988
Gary KirstenSouth Africa962003
Mushfiqur RahimBangladesh1072026
Stephen FlemingNew Zealand1102008

What the Milestone Means Going Forward

The gap of 1707 runs to the next Bangladesh batter makes Rahim's lead hard to close in the near term. Rahim has also been selected for the upcoming South Africa tour, where he can add to the total.

The 107-match tally should be read in context. Bangladesh has played fewer Tests per year than the older Test nations, so the figure reflects both his consistency and a limited schedule.