Manjural Islam Rana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Manjural Islam Rana

Personal information
Full name	Qazi Manjural Islam
Born	(1984-05-04)4 May 1984 Mujgunni, Khulna, Bangladesh
Died	16 March 2007(2007-03-16) (aged 22) Kartikdanga, Khulna, Bangladesh
Nickname	Rana
Batting	Left-handed
Bowling	Left-arm orthodox spin
International information
National side	Bangladesh (2003–2006)
Test debut (cap 35)	19 February 2004 v Zimbabwe
Last Test	20 December 2004 v India
ODI debut (cap 69)	7 November 2003 v England
Last ODI	25 March 2006 v Kenya
ODI shirt no.	96
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2000/01–2006/07	Khulna Division
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 6 25 46 65 Runs scored 257 331 2,466 869 Batting average 25.70 20.68 36.26 19.75 100s/50s 0/1 0/1 4/8 0/3 Top score 69 63 151 76* Balls bowled 749 996 8,164 2,944 Wickets 5 23 127 85 Bowling average 80.20 29.95 25.97 21.72 5 wickets in innings 0 0 7 0 10 wickets in match 0 0 1 0 Best bowling 3/84 4/34 7/82 4/9 Catches/stumpings 3/– 6/– 32/– 21/–
Source: Cricinfo, 16 March 2007

Manjural Islam Rana (born May 4, 1984 – died March 16, 2007) was a talented cricketer from Bangladesh. People also knew him as Qazi Manjural Islam. He played for his country in six Test matches and 25 One Day International (ODI) games. Rana was a slow left-arm orthodox spin bowler, which means he bowled with his left hand and made the ball spin.

He started playing for Khulna Division in Bangladesh. His first international game was an ODI against England in November 2003. A few months later, he played his first Test match against Zimbabwe. Sadly, Rana passed away in a road accident in March 2007 when he was only 22 years old.

Manjural Islam Rana's Cricket Journey

Starting His Cricket Career

Rana began his professional cricket journey on November 22, 2000. He played his first first-class match for Khulna Division. This was against Barisal Division. In this game, he got his first wicket by bowling out Towhid Hossain.

Later that month, on November 25, 2000, Rana played his first one-day match. He played for Khulna against Barisal Division again. In this game, he scored 22 runs and took three wickets. This was part of Bangladesh's new National Cricket League.

In his first season with Khulna, Rana played 10 first-class matches. He scored 299 runs and took 35 wickets. He also played 10 one-day matches, scoring 70 runs and taking 10 wickets.

Playing for Bangladesh

Rana made his international debut in an ODI against England on November 7, 2003. This game was in Chittagong. He took a wicket with only his third ball, dismissing Michael Vaughan. This made him the first Bangladeshi player to take a wicket in his very first international over!

In December 2003, Rana was part of the Bangladesh A team that toured Pakistan. He then made his Test debut on February 19, 2004, against Zimbabwe. He took two wickets in that match. Rana also batted well, scoring 35 not out and 32 runs. Bangladesh lost the match, but Rana was the team's top batsman in the series. He scored 105 runs with an average of 52.50.

In April 2004, Rana received a "rookie contract" from the Bangladesh Cricket Board. This meant he got a basic salary for playing cricket. When Bangladesh toured the West Indies in May–June 2004, Rana showed his skills again. He took 3 wickets for 21 runs in an ODI match. He also opened the batting in that game. He was Bangladesh's top batsman in that ODI series, scoring 40 runs at an average of 40.00. He also took five wickets.

Key Moments in His Career

When Zimbabwe visited Bangladesh in January 2005, Rana was named "man of the match" twice in the ODI series. In one game, he took his best figures ever, getting 4 wickets for only 34 runs. He played in four matches of the series. He scored 37 runs and took 9 wickets, becoming Bangladesh's top wicket-taker for that series.

After playing his last international ODI match in March 2006, Rana continued to play domestic cricket. He played four more one-day matches for Bangladesh A. He also kept representing Khulna Division in first-class cricket.

In the 2006–07 cricket season, Rana played 10 first-class matches. He scored 571 runs, including two centuries. He also took 34 wickets. His last match was a first-class game where he captained Khulna against Dhaka Division. He took 9 wickets in that match.

A Sad Farewell

Two months before his death, Rana was in another motorcycle crash but was not hurt. Sadly, on March 16, 2007, Rana died in an accident in Dumuria Upazila, Khulna. He was only 22 years old. This happened while the Bangladesh cricket team was in the Caribbean for the 2007 Cricket World Cup. His motorcycle crashed into a microbus and then hit an electrical pole. Another cricketer from Khulna Division, Sajjadul Hasan, also died in the accident.

The captain of the Bangladesh team at the time, Habibul Bashar, said it was "shocking news" and that the team was very upset. Before their first World Cup match, the Bangladesh team decided to play in memory of Rana. They held a one-minute silence for him. They also wore black armbands during the match. In that game, they won against India, which was a big surprise. Captain Habibul Bashar dedicated the win to Rana. After the match, he walked around the field holding a picture of Rana to honor him.

Manjural Islam Rana's death at 22 years and 316 days old makes him the youngest Test cricketer to pass away. He and Habibul Bashar once held the record for the highest fourth-wicket partnership for Bangladesh in Tests. They scored 120 runs together against the West Indies in 2004.

In 2009, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) started a welfare trust for players and staff. As part of this, money from ticket sales for an ODI match between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe was given to Rana's family.