The pacers dominated the show. In a historic 101-run win over the West Indies at Sabina Park, Bangladesh’s bowlers took all 20 wickets, with the three pacers claiming 13 of them. The remaining seven wickets went to spinners Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Despite the pacers’ brilliance, Taijul stood out in the second innings, taking 5 wickets for just 50 runs and earning the Player of the Match award.
But Taijul’s left-arm spin wizardry isn’t limited to this match or the recently concluded Bangladesh-West Indies series. For over a decade, he has been weaving his magic, claiming five-wicket hauls in an innings 15 times in his Test career.
The stats back it up: since his Test debut 10 years ago, no other left-arm spinner has taken as many five-wicket hauls as Taijul. Even India’s Ravindra Jadeja, who has played more matches and taken more wickets, lags behind in this regard. Taijul’s closest comparison in Bangladesh, Shakib Al Hasan, is also well behind.
Taijul made his Test debut in September 2014 against the West Indies in St. Vincent. He announced himself by taking 5 for 135 in the first innings of his very first match. From that beginning, he’s gone on to claim five-wicket hauls in Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet, and Khulna, as well as overseas in Gqeberha, Sri Lanka’s Pallekele, and other venues. His victims include teams like West Indies, Pakistan, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Ireland, and Sri Lanka.
In total, Taijul has taken 217 wickets in 91 innings, with 15 five-wicket hauls. In comparison, Jadeja, who has bowled in 124 innings over the same period, has achieved the feat 13 times. Taijul’s tally could have been surpassed by Sri Lankan legend Rangana Herath, who took 13 five-wicket hauls in just 67 innings after September 2014. However, Herath retired in 2018, and interestingly, he later worked with the Bangladesh team, mentoring Taijul as part of the coaching staff.
South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj, who debuted two years after Taijul, has played more Tests (51 to Taijul’s 55) but has taken fewer wickets (186 in 92 innings) and claimed five-wicket hauls only 10 times. Sri Lanka’s Prabath Jayasuriya, meanwhile, is on a rapid rise, with 9 five-wicket hauls in just 32 innings across 17 Tests.
For a long time, Shakib Al Hasan was the primary left-arm spinner in Bangladesh’s attack. Since Taijul’s debut, Shakib has played 37 Tests, taking 124 wickets in 65 innings with 8 five-wicket hauls. However, Taijul has not only stepped out of Shakib’s shadow but has also surpassed his contemporaries to establish himself as the leading left-arm spinner of his era.
