The members of a cricket team are always labeled as batters or bowlers. But what do all these players have in common? It is the skill of being an active fielder. Good fielding plays an important role in defining the teams’ performance in real-world matches. One aspect of fielding is taking catches, which should be executed with perfection. Growing cricketing nations like Bangladesh have made a place amongst the big teams, and good fielding has played an essential role in this. In this article, we will take a look at those star fielders of Bangladesh who have taken the maximum number of catches in Test cricket.
1. Mahmudullah
We begin the list with Mahmudullah. The all-rounder has caught 38 catches in 87 innings of 50 Test matches between 2009 and 2021. The right-handed middle-order batter is also a tidy right-arm off-break bowler. Mahmudullah has 2914 test runs and 43 rest wickets under his name.
2. Mominul Haque
On number two, we have Mominul Haque with 37 catches in 95 innings. Mominul has appeared in 56 Test matches since 2013. The left-handed middle-order batter has accumulated 3655 runs during this tenure and has registered the impressive highest score of 181 runs.
3. Imrul Kayes
Next up on the list is Imrul Kayes. While playing for the nation during 2008-2019, Imrul caught 30 catches in 67 innings of 39 matches. The left-handed opening batter also served as an occasional wicketkeeper for the team. Along with Tamim Iqbal, Imrul holds the record for the highest second-innings opening stand in Test cricket.
4. Shakib Al Hasan
On the fourth spot, we have Shakib Al Hasan, who has pocketed 26 catches in 116 innings. In his 66 matches since 2007, Shakib has played the role of a match-saving all-rounder. The left-handed batter and slow orthodox bowler has scored 4454 runs and scalped 233 wickets in these matches.
5. Mohammad Ashraful
Mohammad Ashraful stands in the fifth position on this list with 25 catches. Ashraful featured in 91 innings of 61 matches between 2001 and 2013. Ashraful started his career on a high note and posed a promising future. However, his involvement in match-fixing and spot-fixing in Bangladesh Premier League brought shame to his name.
6. Soumya Sarkar
Making it to the sixth place on this list is Soumya Sarkar. Sarkar has bagged 23 catches in 27 innings of 16 matches during 2015-2021. Soumya is amongst those rare all-rounders who can bat in the top order as well as bowl medium-fast balls for the team. He made his Test debut against Pakistan in April 2015.
7. Mehidy Hasan
On number seven of the list, we have Mehidy Hasan, with 22 catches under his name. While featuring in 68 innings of 38 matches since 2016, Mehidy has emerged as one of the brightest young stars in Bangladesh cricket. Hasan is an all-rounder with a right-arm off-break bowling style.
8. Habibul Bashar
With 22 catches in his pocket, Habibul stands in the eighth position on this list. While playing for the nation during 2000-2008, Habibul appeared in 70 innings of 50 matches. The right-handed top-order batter had the style and strokes of a genuine Test player. Most of his runs came from the cultured drives through midwicket.
9. Taijul Islam
On the ninth spot of this list, we have Taijul Islam. Taijul caught 20 catches in 72 innings. In his 41 Test matches since 2014, Taijul has played the role of a slow left-arm orthodox bowler for the team. In only his third Test, he registered the best bowling figures by a Bangladeshi in Tests, 8 for 39.
10. Tamim Iqbal
Last but not least, the final player to make it to this list of elite fielders is Tamim Iqbal. Iqbal bagged 20 catches in 122 innings of 70 Test matches. The left-handed opening batter is regarded as the hardest hitter of the ball in the country. He is the nephew of former Bangladesh skipper Akram Khan.
