Taijul surpasses Shakib to become Bangladesh’s leading Test wicket-taker

The 32-year-old left-armer surpassed Shakib Al Hasan’s tally of 246 wickets with the dismissal of Andrew Balbirnie

Taijul Islam has etched his name at the top of Bangladesh’s Test bowling records, surpassing Shakib Al Hasan to become the country’s highest wicket-taker in the format.

The left-arm spinner drew level with Shakib’s tally of 246 wickets during the first innings of the Mirpur Test against Ireland, before moving past the all-rounder early in the second innings on Saturday. Taijul trapped Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie leg before with the new ball to claim the record outright. A review could not save the batter.

Teammates immediately mobbed Taijul in celebration, with Mushfiqur Rahim lifting him off the ground.

Bangladesh had set Ireland a target of 509, and Taijul made an immediate impact with the ball. He needed only three overs to break through, and soon struck again by removing Paul Stirling to edge closer to another milestone.

Taijul is now closing in on becoming the first Bangladeshi bowler to reach 250 Test wickets. Remarkably, he overtook Shakib in 19 fewer innings -- Shakib needed 121 innings for his 246 wickets, while Taijul reached the mark far more quickly.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz sits next on Bangladesh’s all-time Test wicket list with 209 from 97 innings before the start of Ireland’s final innings. Mohammad Rafique (100 wickets) and Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (78) are the only other Bangladesh bowlers to have reached or neared the 100-wicket mark.