Dhaka, Aug 21 (V7N) – Veteran Mushfiqur Rahim heads into the second Test against Australia tomorrow in Mackay needing 158 runs to become the first Bangladeshi batter to score 7,000 Test runs, as he continues to cement his legacy in the country's cricketing history.

The 39-year-old has accumulated 6,842 runs from 104 Tests and 191 innings, and could reach the landmark in Mackay if he produces a substantial score.

Mushfiqur made his Test debut against England at Lord's on May 26, 2005, aged just 18. More than two decades later, he remains one of the most accomplished players in Bangladesh's Test history. He became Bangladesh's first player to feature in 100 Tests and marked the occasion with a century against Ireland in 2025.

Mushfiqur currently leads Bangladesh's Test run-scorers, with Mominul Haque second on 5,210 runs, followed by Tamim Iqbal on 5,134, Shakib Al Hasan on 4,609 and Liton Das on 3,356. He has 14 Test centuries, 29 fifties and three double-centuries, with his highest score being an unbeaten 219 against Zimbabwe in Mirpur in 2018. He also scored 200 against Zimbabwe in 2020 and made his first double-century, 200 against Sri Lanka, in Galle in 2013.

Mushfiqur had a chance to reach 7,000 in the first Test in Darwin but managed only 36 from 55 balls before being dismissed by Pat Cummins. He will now need a big innings, or substantial contributions across both innings, in Mackay to reach the milestone.

Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons believes Mushfiqur has little left to prove at this stage of his career and is instead enjoying his cricket.

"He is enjoying it brilliantly. You can see it on the field. He is very happy to be playing. He has played more than 100 Tests, so there is nothing left for him to prove. I am very happy with him," Simmons said.

Mushfiqur's recent form has also underlined his importance to the team. He scored 191 against Pakistan in the 2024 Rawalpindi Test and played a key role in Bangladesh's series victory. Earlier this year, he was named player of the series against Pakistan after scoring 253 runs in four innings.

The Australia series is particularly significant for Mushfiqur as it is his first Test tour on Australian soil. He scored 158 runs in four innings against Australia in Bangladesh in 2017. Having fallen short of a major score in Darwin, Mushfiqur will have another opportunity in Mackay, where Australia are expected to rely on a formidable pace attack featuring Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

end/wsp/rh/