Taijul Islam

Taijul Islam (Bengali: তাইজুল ইসলাম; born 7 February 1992) is a Bangladeshi left-arm orthodox spinner who plays for the Bangladesh national cricket team. He made his international debut for Bangladesh in September 2014.^[1]

Taijul Islam

Taijul Islam
Personal information
Full name	Taijul Islam
Born	(1992-02-07) 7 February 1992 (age 32) Natore, Bangladesh
Height	1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Batting	Left-handed
Bowling	Slow left-arm orthodox
Role	Bowler
International information
National side	Bangladesh (2014–present)
Test debut (cap 73)	5 September 2014 v West Indies
Last Test	28 November 2023 v New Zealand
ODI debut (cap 116)	1 December 2014 v Zimbabwe
Last ODI	6 March 2023 v England
ODI shirt no.	12
T20I debut (cap 64)	13 September 2019 v Zimbabwe
Last T20I	15 September 2019 v Afghanistan
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2011–2014	Rajshahi Division
2012–2013	Duronto Rajshahi
2013	Prime Doleshwar SC
2013	Prime Bank CC
2014	North Zone
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 43 18 100 126 Runs scored 545 110 1426 690 Batting average 8.79 10.00 11.14 12.54 100s/50s 0/0 0/0 0/2 0/1 Top score 39* 39* 64 57* Balls bowled 11838 972 25,198 6,424 Wickets 187 30 441 176 Bowling average 31.43 23.60 28.85 28.33 5 wickets in innings 12 1 31 3 10 wickets in match 2 0 7 0 Best bowling 8/39 5/28 8/39 6/19 Catches/stumpings 22/– 3/– 53/– 49/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 11 March 2023

Taijul Islam was selected for Bangladesh A after a strong 2013–14 domestic season, and went on to make his Test debut for Bangladesh on its 2014 tour of the West Indies. He took a five-wicket haul on debut, and, when Zimbabwe toured Bangladesh later in the year, took figures of 8/39, the best figures by any Bangladeshi at Test level. He made his ODI debut later in the series, and took a hat-trick, becoming the first ever player to do so on debut.

Domestic career

Taijul Islam has played at domestic level for Rajshahi Division and North Zone, in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) for Duronto Rajshahi, and in the Dhaka Premier Division for Prime Doleshwar SC. He made his first-class debut for Rajshahi Division during the 2010–11 season of the National Cricket League.

Taijul Islam initially played in his hometown, Natore, before moving up to the Rajshahi Division league system.^[2] He toured Sri Lanka with the Bangladesh national under-19s during the 2009 season, and played three under-19 One Day Internationals and one under-19 Test.^[3][4] Taijul Islam made his first-class debut for Rajshahi Division in April 2011, during the 2010–11 season of the National Cricket League (Bangladesh).^[5] He played three matches late in the season, taking 14 wickets (including three four-wicket hauls). This impressed Khaled Mashud, a former captain of Bangladesh and leading figure in the Rajshahi team, and reputedly guaranteed his place in the squad for several seasons.^[6]

For the 2011–12 season, Taijul Islam secured a place with Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club in the Dhaka Premier Division, which, although it did not yet have list-A status, was one of the strongest one-day leagues in the country.^[7] He was also signed to Duronto Rajshahi for the inaugural season of the Bangladesh Premier League, playing three matches, including the team's semi-final loss to the Barisal Burners.^[8] Taijul Islam gained more game time during the following season, taking nine wickets from nine matches.^[9] Following on from this, in August 2013 he represented the Bangladesh under-23 side at the ACC Emerging Teams Cup in Singapore, which constituted his first matches at list-A level.^[10] The Dhaka Premier Division gained list-A status for its 2013 season, running from September to November, and Taijul Islam was one of the competition's leading wicket-takers, finishing with 22 wickets from 15 matches (behind only Farhad Reza for Prime Doleshwar).^[11] This including figures of 6/19 against Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club (led by Mushfiqur Rahim), a personal best.^[12]

Taijul Islam represented another side sponsored by Prime Bank Limited in a brief Victory Day Cup series at the end of December 2013. He played seven games in that competition, which was his second Twenty20 tournament of the year – he had also represented Rajshahi Division at the Bangladesh Games in April.^[8] The 2013–14 season was Taijul Islam's breakout season at first-class level.^[6] In the four-zone Bangladesh Cricket League, he took 37 wickets in four matches for North Zone, an amalgam of the Rajshahi and Rangpur Division teams.^[13] This included match figures of 12/122 (7/71 and 5/51) against East Zone, the first ten-wicket haul of his career.^[14][15] Against Central Zone, Taijul Islam took match figures of 11/177 (5/88 and 6/89),^[16] while in the tournament's final, against South Zone, he took 10/242, which included first-innings figures of 8/86.^[17] For these performances, Taijul Islam was named Man of the Tournament.^[18] His NCL season for Rajshahi Division was less successful, with 18 wickets from seven matches,^[19] though this including a ten-wicket haul against Sylhet Division, for which he was named man of the match.^[20]

In October 2018, Taijul Islam was named in the squad for the Khulna Titans team, following the draft for the 2018–19 Bangladesh Premier League.^[21] He was the leading wicket-taker for the team in the tournament, with thirteen dismissals in twelve matches.^[22] In August 2019, he was one of 35 cricketers named in a training camp ahead of Bangladesh's 2019–20 season.^[23] In November 2019, he was selected to play for the Rajshahi Royals in the 2019–20 Bangladesh Premier League.^[24]

International career

2014 to 2020

After Taijul Islam's performances during the 2013–14 domestic season, he was named in Bangladesh A's 15-man squad for its tour of the West Indies in May 2014.^[25] Bangladesh's senior team also toured later in the year, in August and September 2014. Taijul Islam was a late addition to Bangladesh's squad for the two-Test series, replacing another left-arm spinner, Abdur Razzak.^[26] On debut at Kingstown's Arnos Vale Ground (on Saint Vincent), he took 5/135 in the West Indies' first innings of 484/7 declared, bowling the majority of overs in tandem with Shuvagata Hom, an off-spinner also making his Test debut.^[27] Taijul Islam thus became the sixth Bangladeshi bowler to take a five-wicket haul on his Test debut.^[28]

Taijul Islam was subsequently selected for Bangladesh's home series against Zimbabwe, in October and November 2014. In the first Test of the three-Test series, he took 8/39 (his career best till now) from 16.5 overs in Zimbabwe's second innings, helping to bowl the side out for 114 runs. Taijul Islam became the first Bangladeshi to take eight wickets in a Test innings, breaking Shakib Al Hasan's previous record (7/36 against New Zealand in 2008).^[29][30] Only two left-arm bowlers have recorded better figures in a Test innings – Sri Lanka's Rangana Herath (9/127) and England's Johnny Briggs (8/11).^[31] Later in the match, Taijul Islam featured in an unbroken 19-run partnership for the eighth wicket, hitting the winning runs as Bangladesh won by three wickets. He was subsequently named man of the match.^[32]

Making his One Day International debut for Bangladesh against Zimbabwe on 1 December 2014,^[33] Taijul Islam finished with figures of 4/11 from seven overs, including a hat-trick. He became the fourth Bangladeshi to take an ODI hat-trick, after Shahadat Hossain, Abdur Razzak, and Rubel Hossain, and the first to take a hat-trick in ODI debut.^[34] At the 2015 World Cup played in Australia and New Zealand, Taijul Islam was included in Bangladesh's squad, but played only a single match, taking 0/58 against New Zealand. He was dropped from the squad for the team's next international ODI series, when Pakistan toured in April and May 2015, but was named in the squad for the two-Test series.^[35] In the first Test in Khulna, Taijul Islam took 6/163 in Pakistan's only innings, the second-best figures by a Bangladeshi bowler against Pakistan (after Shakib Al Hasan's 6/82 in 2011).^[36]

In April 2018, he was one of ten cricketers to be awarded a central contract by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) ahead of the 2018 season.^[37] In September 2019, he was named in Bangladesh's Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for the 2019–20 Bangladesh Tri-Nation Series.^[38] He made his T20I debut for Bangladesh, against Zimbabwe, on 13 September 2019,^[39] taking a wicket with his first delivery.^[40][41]

2021 to present

In May 2022, he was included in the Test and ODI squad of Bangladesh for West Indies tour. He was not included in the playing XI for the Test series and in the first two ODI matches. He was included in the playing XI for the third ODI, making his comeback in ODI since he last played against Zimbabwe in March 2020. In the match, he picked up his first five-wicket haul conceding 28 runs, his best bowling figure in ODIs. His bowling helped Bangladesh sweep the ODI series by a 3–0 margin.^[42]

See also

• List of Bangladesh cricketers who have taken five-wicket hauls on Test debut
• List of One Day International cricket hat-tricks

References

1. "Taijul Islam profile and biography, stats, records, averages, photos and videos". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
2. "Bangladesh / Players / Taijul Islam". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
3. Under-19 ODI matches played by Taijul Islam (3) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
4. Under-19 Test matches played by Taijul Islam (1) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
5. First-class matches played by Taijul Islam (21) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
6. Mohammad Isam (7 September 2014). "Taijul bursts out of obscurity" – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
7. Miscellaneous matches played by Taijul Islam (13) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
8. Twenty20 matches played by Taijul Islam (22) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
9. Bowling in Bangladesh Premier League 2012/12 (ordered by wickets) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
10. List A matches played by Taijul Islam (18) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
11. Bowling in Dhaka Premier Division 2012/13 (ordered by wickets) 27 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine – CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
12. Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club v Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, Dhaka Premier Division 2012/13 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
13. Bowling in Bangladesh Cricket League 2013/14 (ordered by wickets) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
14. East Zone v North Zone, Bangladesh Cricket League 2013/14 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
15. — (20 January 2014). "Taijul bowls North Zone to victory" – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
16. — (6 May 2014). "Taijul bowls North Zone to victory" – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
17. Mohammad Isam (9 May 2014). "Taijul eight-for derails South Zone" – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
18. Bangladesh Cricket League 2013/14 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
19. Bowling in National Cricket League 2013/14 (ordered by wickets) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
20. — (2 February 2014). "Taijul takes 10 in Rajshahi win" – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
21. "Full players list of the teams following Players Draft of BPL T20 2018-19". Bangladesh Cricket Board. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
22. "Bangladesh Premier League, 2018/19 - Khulna Titans: Batting and bowling averages". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
23. "Mohammad Naim, Yeasin Arafat, Saif Hassan - A look into Bangladesh's future". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
24. "BPL draft: Tamim Iqbal to team up with coach Mohammad Salahuddin for Dhaka". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
25. Mohammad Isam (10 May 2014). "Three newcomers in Bangladesh A squad" – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
26. Mohammad Isam (22 August 2014). "Taijul Islam and Shuvagata Hom set for Test call-ups" – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
27. Mohammad Isam (5 September 2014). "Brathwaite century puts West Indies in command" – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
28. "Bowling records: Test matches (Bangladesh)". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
29. Alagappan Muthu (27 October 2014). "Bangladesh stumble after Taijul eight-for" – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
30. "Statistics / Statsguru / Test matches / Bowling records" – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
31. Statistics / Statsguru / Test matches / Bowling records – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
32. Zimbabwe tour of Bangladesh, 1st Test: Bangladesh v Zimbabwe at Dhaka, Oct 25-27, 2014 – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
33. "Zimbabwe tour of Bangladesh, 5th ODI: Bangladesh v Zimbabwe at Dhaka, Dec 1, 2014". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
34. "Taijul debut hat-trick sets 129 target". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
35. Mohammad Isam (8 April 2015). "Talukdar, Abul picked for Pakistan ODIs; Imrul dropped" – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
36. Shiva Jayamaran (1 May 2015). "Bangladesh's best partnership in Test cricket" – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
37. "BCB cuts contracts list for 2018 to ten". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
38. "Yeasin Arafat, Taijul Islam earn T20I call-ups for tri-series; Mehidy, Rubel Hossain out". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
39. "1st Match (N), Bangladesh Twenty20 Tri-Series at Dhaka, Sep 13 2019". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
40. "Records: Twenty20 Internationals: Bowling records: Wicket with first ball in career". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
41. "Afif shines as Tigers open with win". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
42. "Taijul's maiden five-for sets up Bangladesh for 3-0 series win". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 July 2022.

External links

• Taijul Islam at ESPNcricinfo