Mushfiqur Rahim Hits Century in 100th Test, Becomes First Bangladeshi to Join Elite Cricket Club

On a humid morning in Mirpur, with the scent of incense and the roar of 25,000 fans filling the air, Mushfiqur Rahim dropped to his knees, helmet off, arms raised — not in triumph, but in quiet awe. He’d just become the first Bangladeshi to score a century in his 100th Test match, a feat achieved by only 10 others in 148 years of cricket history. The moment came on November 20, 2025, at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka, when Rahim, 38, pushed a single to mid-wicket off Ireland’s Matthew Humphreys and reached exactly 106 runs off 214 balls. The crowd didn’t just cheer — they wept. And the Irish players? They stood, clapping, as if witnessing something sacred.

A Legacy Forged in Patience

Rahim didn’t burst onto the scene like a comet. He arrived at Lord’s in 2005 as a lanky 18-year-old, raw and untested, with a batting style that looked more defensive than daring. Two decades later, he’s the anchor Bangladesh’s fragile Test batting order has leaned on through 100 grueling matches. His 106 on Thursday wasn’t a flamboyant blitz — it was a masterclass in resilience. Five boundaries. No sixes. Just quiet, relentless accumulation, surviving 214 deliveries in a match where the pitch offered uneven bounce and Ireland’s seamers hunted for edges.

He wasn’t alone. Teammate Litton Das, also reaching his own landmark — his 100th first-class match — smashed an unbeaten 103, adding 77 runs with Rahim for the fifth wicket. Together, they turned a shaky 95/3 on day one into a commanding 387/5 by lunch on day two. The Bangladesh Cricket Board called it "a testament to perseverance," and rightly so. Rahim has outlasted five captains, four head coaches, and generations of younger batsmen who came and went. His 13 Test centuries now tie him with Mominul Haque for the most by any Bangladeshi.

The Elite 11

Scoring a century in your 100th Test is rarer than a perfect game in baseball. Before Rahim, only ten men had done it: England’s Colin Cowdrey in 1968, Pakistan’s Javed Miandad in 1989, West Indies’ Gordon Greenidge in 1990, and later Ricky Ponting, Graeme Smith, and Joe Root. All legends. All from cricketing superpowers. Rahim is the first from a Full Member nation that didn’t even play its first Test until 2000. That’s not just an achievement — it’s a revolution.

The Emotional Weight

When Rahim reached triple figures, he didn’t raise his bat. He didn’t scream. He just dropped to the turf, eyes closed, as if thanking the ground that had carried him through injuries, criticism, and years of being called "too slow" or "not aggressive enough." The Irish players — many of whom were born when Rahim was still playing for Bangladesh Under-19s — clapped like they’d just seen history walk off the pitch. Even Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh’s greatest all-rounder, posted a tearful tribute on Facebook: "I watched him debut at Lord’s in 2005. I thought he’d never make it. Now he’s the man every kid in Sylhet or Khulna dreams of becoming." The Dutch-Bangla Bank Bangladesh vs Ireland Test Series 2025Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium had already been a triumph for Bangladesh, who won the first Test by an innings and 47 runs. But this? This was transcendence.

What Comes Next?

Rahim still has a second innings to come. If he scores another century, he’ll become the first man ever to hit two centuries in the same match on his 100th Test — a feat no one has even dreamed of. But even if he doesn’t, his legacy is sealed. He’s not just Bangladesh’s most capped Test player. He’s the man who made the impossible feel inevitable.

The Bigger Picture

For years, Bangladesh cricket was dismissed as an also-ran — a team that won T20s but couldn’t survive in Test cricket. Rahim’s career flips that script. He didn’t just play 100 Tests — he played them with dignity, grit, and quiet brilliance. His average of 41.5 across 100 matches isn’t flashy, but it’s consistent. He’s batted in 167 innings. He’s been dismissed 75 times. And yet, he’s still here. That’s the story. Not the runs. Not the centuries. But the endurance.

What This Means for Bangladesh Cricket

The Bangladesh Cricket Board now has a living icon. Rahim’s achievement isn’t just personal — it’s institutional. It proves that a player from a non-traditional cricketing nation can not only compete but define greatness on the sport’s oldest stage. Young cricketers in Dhaka’s dusty nets are already mimicking his stance, his footwork, his calm under pressure. The hashtag #TheTigers trended globally for 48 hours after his century. And for the first time, Bangladesh’s Test team feels like a team with a soul.