Hasan Mahmud Finds New Bangladesh Ally For England Challenge

Hasan Mahmud to be joined by Bangladesh teammate in England [Source: AFP]

Bangladesh pacer Hasan Mahmud was the talk of the town on Thursday morning in Darwin, as he ripped through the Australian batting lineup to bowl them out for just 198 on Day 1 of the first Test.

In his fiery spell, he picked a record-breaking 6/55 in 17 overs, also dismissing the dangerous Travis Head and the top-scorer, Steve Smith, among others.

This performance came as a reward for the work he put in during his short County Championship stint earlier in the summer. Now, with Bangladesh producing quality pacers, Mahmud’s county has roped in yet another promising bowler to join his countryman in the remainder of the season.

Bangladesh pacer to join Hasan Mahmud at Kent

Just hours before the start of Day 1 between Australia and Bangladesh in Darwin, Bangladesh news outlet Daily Sun reported that yet another Bangladesh fast bowler will be off to England to play County Championship Division Two in September 2026.

With the first half of the County season done and dusted, it will be Shoriful Islam’s turn to play First Class matches for Kent in September. He will join Hasan Mahmud for these matches, after the latter has played two games earlier in June as well.

The Kent CCC has already completed all the paperwork to make sure Shoriful faces no visa complications. Nonetheless, the No Objection Certificate from the Bangladesh Cricket Board is still needed to complete the procedure.

As things stand, Shoriful missed the first Test against Australia due to a hamstring injury, but is expected to be available for the next match. Whether he takes the flight to England shall also depend on his fitness.

Also Read: Australia Embarrassed At Home! Script A Bundle Of Shameful Records vs Bangladesh

What does Shoriful’s County stint mean for Bangladesh?

In their short international cricket history, Bangladesh is not known for producing world-class fast bowlers, but the current group of players have changed this perception in recent times.

Mahmud picked 12 wickets in 2 matches earlier this summer at an average of 19.08. This includes a 6/69 on debut against Lancashire, making the County Clubs scout more Bangladesh players to create an impact.

The left-arm pacer, Shoriful, is already in the sixth year of his international career and has 59 FC wickets in 25 matches. If he replicates Mahmud’s performances and helps Kent gain promotion to the first Division, it would open doors for more Bangladesh players to play County Cricket and get quality exposure in the coming seasons.

How many Bangladesh players have played in the County Championship?

Bangladesh played their first Test match in November 2000, and it is just in the last couple of years that they have started getting noteworthy results, like beating Pakistan in both home and away series and stunning Australia in Darwin.

So, there haven’t been many Bangladeshi players to have played County Championship before. Earlier this season, Hasan Mahmud became the second player to get a County stint under his belt after Shakib Al Hasan.