Veteran Bangladeshi batter Mushfiqur Rahim is poised to make his 100th Test appearance at home against Ireland, with the second match of the two-Test series confirmed by the visiting board. According to ESPNCricinfo, Cricket Ireland had earlier proposed an ODI series instead of a second Test. However, the agreement to proceed with the Test match was ultimately reached, marking a milestone for Rahim as he becomes the first player from Bangladesh to achieve 100 appearances in the longest format of cricket.
Rahim, who made his Test debut in 2005 at Lord’s against England, is the only Bangladeshi cricketer to surpass 6,000 runs in Test matches, which includes 12 centuries and 27 half-centuries. In the recent series against Sri Lanka, he delivered noteworthy performances with scores of 163, 49, 35, and 26.
Bangladesh drew the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle but succumbed to defeat in the second match. Their World Test Championship (WTC) results have been disappointing, but the series against Ireland presents an opportunity to build confidence in Test cricket before challenging tours to Australia and South Africa.
The two-match series with Ireland is scheduled to begin on November 11 in Sylhet. This will be the second meeting between Bangladesh and Ireland in Test cricket, following their first encounter in 2023 in Mirpur, which Bangladesh won convincingly.
After the two Tests, a three-match T20I series is lined up for November 27, 29, and December 2, with the initial two matches taking place in Chattogram and the final match in Dhaka. Prior to the Ireland series, the West Indies will tour Bangladesh for three ODIs and an additional three T20Is, following a subcontinent tour that includes a T20I series against Nepal in the UAE and two Test matches against India.
