Mohammad Rafique (cricketer) facts for kids

Mohammad Rafique (born 5 September 1970) is a famous Bangladeshi cricket coach and former player. He made history as the first bowler from Bangladesh to take 100 wickets in both Test cricket and ODI matches.

Rafique is well-known for his important contributions to Bangladesh Cricket. He even played for special teams like the World XI against Australia in 2005. He also joined the Asia XI team for a series against Africa XI in 2007. Later, he became the captain of the Bangladesh Legends cricket team in the 2020-21 Road Safety World Series. In 2022, Rafique played for Asia Lions in the Legends League Cricket, where he showed his skill by taking two wickets.

Mohammad Rafique's Cricket Journey

Starting in Domestic Cricket

Mohammad Rafique began his cricket career in 1985. He started as a left-arm fast bowler for a team called Bangladesh Sporting. In 1988, he joined the Bangladesh Biman cricket team. There, a Pakistani player named Wasim Haider helped him change his bowling style. Rafique became a slow left-arm spin bowler, which is what he became famous for.

In December 1994, Rafique played for Bangladesh in the second SAARC cricket tournament. He helped Bangladesh win against India "A" by taking three wickets for only 25 runs.

Winning the ICC Trophy

Rafique was a key player in the Bangladesh cricket team that won the 1997 ICC Trophy. This was a very important tournament for Bangladesh cricket. In nine matches, he took 19 wickets, showing how good he was. His best performance was taking four wickets for 25 runs in the semi-final against Scotland.

He and his spin bowling partner, Enamul Haque Moni, took a total of 12 wickets together in the tournament. In the final match against Kenya, Rafique also scored 26 quick runs from just 15 balls, which helped his team win.

Return to Cricket

In 2008, Rafique briefly played in a different cricket league. This led to a temporary ban from the Bangladesh Cricket Board. However, he later decided to stop playing in that league. After that, he was welcomed back into the world of cricket. He continued to play first-class cricket for Dhaka Division. He even had a great performance in the Big Boss T20 Premier League final for Abahani Limited.

Playing for Bangladesh Internationally

Mohammad Rafique, known for his slow-left-arm spin bowling, was one of the top Bangladeshi players in the ICC bowler rankings. He became a regular player for the national team. Everyone in Bangladesh knew his name. He achieved a special record by taking 100 wickets and scoring 1000 runs in both Test and ODI matches.

Rafique was one of the most experienced players on the Bangladesh team. Early in his career, he was especially known for his skills in One Day International (ODI) matches. He was chosen to play in Bangladesh's very first Test match against India. In that game, he showed his talent by taking three wickets.

Overcoming Challenges

His career faced a challenge when his bowling action was questioned. He took some time to fix it and was out of the national team until 2002. He made a strong return in a home series against South Africa. He took six wickets in the second Test against South Africa. He was also the top wicket-taker for Bangladesh in a Test series against India. He was the second-highest wicket-taker during a tour in Zimbabwe.

Batting Skills

Rafique was also a useful batsman, known for hitting the ball hard. In May 1998, he scored 77 runs against Kenya in Hyderabad, India. This helped Bangladesh win their first-ever ODI match against Kenya. In that same match, he also took three wickets for 56 runs. Because of his great all-around performance, he was named the man of the match.

He also scored a century (100 runs) in a Test match against the West Indies. That match ended in a draw. In 2005–06, he scored 65 runs against Australia, which included hitting six sixes!

World Cup Success and Retirement

Rafique played a big part in Bangladesh winning all their matches against Kenya in one series. He also had his best bowling figures in Test matches against Australia. Bangladesh almost won that match, showing how important his performance was. He had a successful 2007 Cricket World Cup. He took eight wickets and helped Bangladesh win important games against India and South Africa.

Mohammad Rafique announced that he was retiring from international cricket on 7 February 2008. His last series for the national team was at home against South Africa. On 1 March, during the second Test, he became the first Bangladeshi player to reach 100 Test wickets. He achieved this by getting Robin Peterson caught out. Rafique was also the first player from Bangladesh to score 1,000 runs and take 100 wickets in Test cricket.