Sports desk: Bangladesh will play their 100th Test match, against Sri Lanka, at P Sara Oval. By doing so, they will be the 10th Test nation to make a century. The Tigers have experienced many ups and downs since their inaugural Test in 2000 against India. In 99 Tests so far, they have won eight, lost 76 and 15 ended in a draw. This was not quite right stat that they had expected. However there were some moments which Bangladesh could cherish. On the eve of the memorable Test, The Independent looks behind those key moments.
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A century and a six-for in maiden Test (against India, November, 2000)
The inaugural Test is memorable in many ways even though Bangladesh ended up losing the match by nine wickets, courtesy to their below par performance in the second innings– a scenario that has been depressingly familiar ever since. However middle-order batsman Aminul Islam Bulbul scored a 145-run knock and became the only third batsman to score century for his country’s maiden Test after Australia’s Charles Bannerman and Zimbabwe’s Dave Houghton. He batted for 535 minutes and hit 17 boundaries. Captain Naimur Rahman Durjoy bagged a six-wicket haul in the first innings.
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Multan Test: A Test makes whole nation crying (against Pakistan, September, 2003)
It was the first Test that Bangladesh agonisingly came close to win a Test match. It was the first three-match Test series for the country also. In that series Alok Kapali clinched a 
hattrick in the second Test, thus becoming the first Bangladesh bowler to do so. But in the third Test, at one stage, Pakistan were reeling on 132 runs for six wickets. But Inzamam-ul-Haq played one of the best ever Test knocks of his career, remaining unbeaten on 138 to steer Pakistan to victory.
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A stubborn stand that ensured first Test series (against Zimbabwe, January, 2005)
Bangladesh won their first Test series and it came on the back of a stubborn partnership from Javed Omar Belim and Nafis Iqbal. Bangladesh won the first Test but Zimbabwe set a challenging 374-run target in the second Test. Victory was out of question and so a draw was Bangladesh’s challenge to win the series. Opening duo Javed Omar and Nafees Iqbal formed a brilliant 133-run partnership, batting together for 83 overs. Nafees went on to score 121 while Javed made 43. The stand proved to be crucial in drawing the match and thus winning the series.
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Two swashbuckling tons that leads Tigers new age (against England, May-June, 2010)
Tamim Iqbal first gave the glimpse that Bangladesh never hesitated to take the challenge of even a best bowling attack of the world in longer version format. His back-to-back century in Lord’s and Manchester proved that a Bangladeshi batsman could conquer the harsh condition. He blasted 103 in the second innings of Lord’s Test and followed it with a stunning 108 in the first innings in Manchester. In a condition completely favourable for the swing bowlers, Tamim’s those two centuries came against an attack comprising Jimmy Anderson, Graeme Swann, Steven Finn and Tim Bresnan. The hundreds against in-form England earned Tamim the “Test Player of the Year” accolade, awarded by the Wisden Cricketer magazine in 2010.
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A much-wanted double (against Sri Lanka, March, 2013)
13 years after the Test status, Bangladesh got their first double centurion in Mushfiqur Rahim. It was fitting considering he is pondered best Test batsman of the country. In that Test, Ashraful also scored 190 and could become the first double centurion ahead of Mushfiqur had he not played a brain-fade shot.
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A unique record: Hattrick and century (against New Zealand, October, 2013)
Sohag Gazi became the first cricketer in Test history to take a hat-trick and score a century in the same match, against New Zealand in the first five-dayer in October, 2013.
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A ton by No 10 (against West Indies, November, 2013)
Abul Hasan made a counter-attacking century as a No 10 batsman on debut against the West Indies in the second Test at Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in Khulna. He became only the second Test debutant in history to make a hundred coming in at No 10. Bangladesh lost the game by 10 wickets.
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Shakib’s century and 10 wickets (against Zimbabwe, November, 2015)
All-rounder Shakib al Hasan became the fourth player in Test history (after Alan Davidson, Ian Botham and Imran Khan) to score a century and bag a 10-wicket haul during the second match against Zimbabwe in Khulna. Bangladesh won by 162 runs.
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A daunting partnership (against Pakistan, April-May, 2015)
Tamim and Imrul Kayes combined for a 312-run partnership that came off 457 balls to help Bangladesh earn a hard-fought draw against Pakistan. Tamim hammered a 206, a best Test innings by then while Kayes made 150. Shakib Al Hasan later went past Tamim to hit the highest Test innings for Bangladesh, scoring 217 against New Zealand in January 2017.
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A much-needed victory (against England, October, 2016)
Bangladesh earlier won seven Test, all of which came against Zimbabwe and a depleted West Indies side. None of those victories cherished that much and Bangladesh needed a victory against a top flight opposition to make people believe that they have come off age. That much-needed victory came against a full-strength England side, courtesy to a record breaking haul of youngster Mehedi Hasan Miraj, who claimed 12-159 in that match to achieve the best figure for a Bangladeshi bowler in a Test.
