Most Test Wickets By Bangladesh Players

Aakash Saini

Most Test wickets by Bangladesh bowlers [Source: @raisul_rifat88/x]Most Test wickets by Bangladesh bowlers [Source: @raisul_rifat88/x]

Since gaining Test status in 2000, the Bangladesh cricket team has steadily carved its identity in the longest format, evolving from perennial underdogs to formidable challengers, especially at home. While batting has seen its share of stars, it is their bowlers, often toiling on unforgiving pitches all over the world, who have scripted some of Bangladesh’s most memorable Test triumphs.

Celebrating Bangladesh’s rich history with Tests, here is a look at five of their most successful bowlers in the format, in terms of number of wickets.


5. Mashrafe Mortaza – 78 wickets

Former Bangladesh captain and legendary fast bowler Mashrafe Mortaza packed 78 wickets in his 36-match career between the years 2001 and 2009. The speedster picked up four four-wicket hauls in the process, doing so against formidable batting units like India, England and New Zealand. In 51 innings, Mortaza maintained a bowling average of 41.52 with a strike rate of 76.7. A tad bit higher on both counts, Mortaza’s expensive average and economy can be attributed to the fact that the fast bowler spent a major part of his Test career during Bangladesh’s formative years in red-ball cricket.


4. Mohammad Rafique – 100 wickets

Mohammad Rafique, one of the earliest pillars of Bangladesh’s spin bowling, became the first cricketer from his nation to complete 100 Test wickets. Rafique eventually retired from the format with 100 wickets from 63 innings spanning 33 Tests. The left-arm spinner conceded runs at just 2.79 an over, and was often tasked to bowl extensive spells during his playing days between the years 2000 and 2008. He also picked up seven five-wicket hauls in his career, which included two against Pakistan and one each against Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka.


3. Mehidy Hasan Miraz – 200 wickets

Charismatic Bangladesh all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz brought up the 200th wicket of his Test career through the course of his 10-wicket match haul against Zimbabwe in April 2025 in Sylhet. Having made his debut back in 2016 in Chattogram as a 19-year-old, the cricketer has so far played 52 Tests, and has bowled in 91 innings. With his fighting ten-fer, Miraz also became only the third Bangladeshi cricketer in history to breach the 200-wicket landmark.

Holding an impressive bowling average of 32.42, Miraz has snared 12 five-fers, and converted three of them into 10-wicket match hauls. Apart from his bowling excellence, the all-rounder has also aggregated nearly 2,000 runs with the bat.

2. Taijul Islam – 219 wickets

Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam has collected 219 wickets in his Test career so far from just 52 matches (93 innings). Apart from being Bangladesh’s second most successful bowler in Tests, Taijul has also claimed the second highest number of five-fers to his name, having snared 15 of them since his 2014 debut.

He also holds the record of picking up Bangladesh’s best-ever bowling figures in Tests, doing so against Zimbabwe with astonishing figures of 8-39. He also claimed a sensational seven-fer against Pakistan a few years ago, and holds a six-fer against a strong New Zealand batting unit.

1. Shakib Al Hasan – 246 wickets

With 246 wickets to his name from just 71 matches, former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan remains the most successful bowler of his country in Test cricket. He holds an average of 31.72, the best among all Bangladesh bowlers with more than 50 wickets to their names. His collection of 19 five-fers stands next to no one, finding himself four ahead of second-placed Taijul Islam.

Shakib made his Test debut back in May 2007 against India, at a time when Bangladesh was still struggling to find its footing in the game’s most prestigious format. His journey over the course of the next decade-and-a-half redefined Bangladesh’s approach in traditional whites, and made him one of the greatest all-rounders of all time.