10 Most Underappreciated Players in Cricket History

Tamim Iqbal has been key to Bangladesh's transformation

Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal (4049 runs @ 37.84)

Bangladeshi cricket has come a long way since Tamim Iqbal's debut in 2008, and few players have had as big a hand in their growth as Iqbal.

It is indicative of his contribution to the national team that in his Test debut, he top scored in both Bangladesh's innings, with 53 and 84. Despite the New Zealand side they faced being a fairly weak one, Bangladesh were routed in just three days.

While Bangladesh now have a side with several fine players, including Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Mustafizur Rahman, at the time of Iqbal's debut, many of Bangladesh's players were struggling to fulfil their potential.

Bangladesh's captain during that game, Mohammad Ashraful, is a testament to this. In 2001, Ashraful had a debut Test even better than Iqbal's, scoring a sensational century against a Sri Lankan bowling attack that included Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan.

However, Ashraful's Test career would end in ignominy, as he would admit to involvement in spot-fixing, and finish his career with an average of just 24. Iqbal, conversely, is currently the country's all-time leading run scorer.

Iqbal perhaps does not possess quite the same level of talent as the likes of Al Hasan, Rahim, and Rahman, which may explain why he does not receive the same level of admiration of some of his fellow countrymen. But he has made the most of his talent, and subsequently has more Test runs than Al Hasan and Rahim, despite having debuted after them.

It is also worth noting that Iqbal is only 29, and may still break many more records for Bangladesh.