5 instances when Bangladesh lost a Test from a position of strength

Sabbir Rahman was left stranded at one end as England won by 22 runs

Bangladesh came agonisingly close to recording a monumental victory against England at Chittagong in the 1st Test of a 2-match series. The visitors, though, managed to keep their nerves and won the match by a margin of 22 runs.

This is the narrowest Test defeat in terms of runs for the Bangladeshis; however, it is certainly not the first time that they have lost a match despite having an upper hand over the opposition at some stage. It has happened on a number of occasions, that too, against some of the best teams in world cricket.

Here are 5 instances when Bangladesh lost a Test from a position of strength:

#5 Against South Africa at Mirpur, 2008

Shahadat Hossain destroyed the Proteas batting line-up with his first-innings spell

Loss Margin – 5 wickets

Out of the 10 Tests that they have played against South Africa so far, Bangladesh have lost 8 and two of them were drawn. However, the win-loss ratio between the Tigers and the Proteas could easily have been 1-7, had the former not thrown away the advantage that they held in a Test at Mirpur in 2008.

The home sided batted first but the duo of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel proved too hot to handle for their batsmen and they were dismissed for 194. The Bangladeshi bowlers seemed unfazed by the dismal showing from their batting counterparts and proceeded to blow away their mighty opponents for just 170 runs.

Although the hosts had taken a slender 22-run lead, they certainly had a psychological advantage over the South Africans. But they failed to make the most of it as a five-wicket haul from Jacques Kallis ensured that the Bangladeshis managed only 182 runs in their 2nd innings.

South Africa’s batsmen recovered from their debacle in the first innings to complete a pretty comfortable chase and win by 5 wickets.

#4 Against New Zealand at Chittagong, 2008

Shakib picked up a 7-wicket haul in the New Zealand 1st innings

Loss Margin – 3 wickets

The first Test of New Zealand’s tour to Bangladesh in 2008 saw the hosts squander yet another opportunity of toppling a big team. After winning the toss and batting first, the Bangladeshis could manage just 245 runs, that too, courtesy of a fine 5th wicket partnership of 144 between Mehrab Hossain and Mushfiqur Rahim.

However, a phenomenal spell of bowling from Shakib Al Hasan (7 for 36) tilted the balance in his team’s favour as the Kiwis were skittled out for 171. The home side was not able to capitalise on their substantial 1st innings lead of 74 runs as they were bowled out for 242 in the second innings.

New Zealand needed 317 runs to win and despite a few wobbles during their pursuit, they managed to get across the line with 3 wickets still intact.

#3 Against Australia at Fatullah, 2006

Rafique was the wrecker-in-chief for Bangladesh in both innings

Loss Margin – 3 wickets

Bangladesh almost pulled off a shock upset on the mighty Australians when they toured the Asian nation early in 2006. But the home side once again ended up making a mess of their advantage and suffered yet another loss in the Test arena.

Opening batsman Shahriar Nafees’ 138 set up a perfect platform for the Bangladeshi innings as they posted a formidable 427 on the board after winning the toss. Meanwhile, Australia could only manage 269 when they batted despite a splendid 144 from iconic wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist.

This meant that the hosts had a first-innings lead of 158 runs and a chance to put the visitors under pressure. But none of this happened as the Aussie bowling attack ran through the Bangladeshi batting line-up and dismissed them for a paltry 148 in the 3rd innings.

Australia’s chase of 307, led by skipper Ricky Ponting, went along pretty smoothly apart from a short phase when they lost 5 wickets for just 58 runs. However, Ponting remained unbeaten on 118 to guide his team to a 3-wicket victory.

#2 Against West Indies at Mirpur, 2012

Sohag Gazi did his best to ensure a Bangladeshi win but the batsmen failed him

Loss Margin – 77 runs

One of the losses which may still be a difficult pill to swallow for Bangladesh came in the 1st Test of a 2-match home series against West Indies in 2012. The visitors made the most of a flat pitch at Mirpur to post a huge score of 527 for 4 on the board, thanks to a Shivnarine Chanderpaul double century.

The Bangladeshi batsmen responded in the most splendid manner as they rode a century from Naeem Islam and 50-plus scores from 4 others to register a mammoth 556 in their 1st innings. Off-spinner Sohag Gazi’s 6 for 74 pushed West Indies further back as they could manage just 273 in their 2nd innings.

With 245 needed to win the match, Bangladesh were outright favourites considering their stellar batting effort earlier in the match. Little did anyone know about the sheer disaster that the home team’s batsmen were about to conjure.

West Indian fast bowler Tino Best picked up 5 for 24 as the Bangladeshis were bundled out for 167 with none of their batsmen managing to score beyond the twenties. The hosts ended up suffering an embarrassing 77-run loss and also lost the 2nd Test to concede the series.

#1 Against Pakistan at Multan, 2003

Skipper Khaled Mahmud and his troops nearly beat Pakistan in 2003

Loss Margin – 1 wicket

On their tour to Pakistan back in 2003, Bangladesh missed out on what would have been their greatest achievement in the Test arena. It was the 3rd Test of a 3-match series and the hosts had already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead.

Bangladesh scored 281 in their first innings, courtesy of a solid 72 from Habibul Bashar and a gritty 49 by Rajin Saleh. But it was their bowling attack that took everyone by surprise as they bowled out the Pakistanis for only 175 and took a 106-run lead.

The batsmen failed to build on the advantage and could manage just 154, leaving the hosts a target of 261 to achieve in the 4th innings. The task, though, did not turn out to be as easy as it looked for Pakistan as they were 7 down for 164 at one stage during their chase.

However, skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq was the only one who was standing tall among the ruins, determined not to allow his team to suffer the ignominy of losing to a much weaker side. He eventually succeeded in the task, scoring an unbeaten 138 in a thrilling 1-wicket victory for the Pakistanis.

For Bangladesh, on the other hand, it was another opportunity lost for proving their mettle to the cricketing world.

Get Lightning Fast Live Cricket Scores of your Favourite Matches only on the Cric Rocket App

Quick Links

Edited by Staff Editor