Taijul Islam, now Bangladesh’s joint highest wicket-taker in Test cricket alongside Shakib Al Hasan, faced repeated questions about comparisons with the senior all-rounder at the post-day-three press conference of the second Test against Ireland in Mirpur.
Taijul Islam became the joint highest wicket-taker in Test cricket alongside Shakib Al Hasan after Matthew Humphries played a reverse sweep off his off-stump delivery, only for Khaled Ahmed to take a diving catch at backward point to end Ireland’s innings. At the post-day-three press conference of the second Test in Mirpur, Taijul was repeatedly asked about comparisons with Shakib.
With 246 wickets each, Taijul and Shakib now jointly hold the record for the most Test wickets for Bangladesh. While sharing Shakib’s record is a milestone for Taijul, he points out that comparisons with the senior all-rounder have been ongoing for years.
“Taijul is just Taijul,” he said. “I don’t really know why these questions keep coming to me. Senior players have a lot to give to the team – they can inspire juniors or share their experience, which benefits younger players greatly.”
Since making his debut in 2014, Taijul has played 57 Tests, 26 of which were alongside Shakib, claiming 94 wickets in those matches. However, since 2017, Shakib’s Test appearances have been irregular. Out of Bangladesh’s 61 Tests since then, he has played in only 27, with his last appearance in Tests coming against India in Kanpur in 2024.
Reflecting on Shakib’s career as a former world number one all-rounder across all three formats, Taijul added:
“When you play for the national team, you must perform consistently. Shakib gave so much to Bangladesh and was number one in the world for a long time. Nobody reaches that position without special qualities, and he certainly had them.”
With Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah Riyad retired, and Mashrafe Mortaza not having played since 2020, Shakib last featured for Bangladesh in October last year. Mushfiqur Rahim continues to play in Tests. In terms of experience in the current series against Ireland, Mominul leads among the senior players after Mushfiqur, with 75 and 57 Tests respectively for Mominul and Taijul.
Taijul emphasised the importance of performance in securing a place in the team. Discussing senior players like Shakib and Mushfiqur, he said:
“We have learned from Shakib that juniors and those with long experience can gain a lot from each other. Players like Shakib, Mushfiqur, Tamim, and Riyad – when everyone has good relationships, the team does well. Senior players guide the team. Your name comes up only if you perform. For me, the key is performance – without it, my name might never be mentioned.”
