Tamim Iqbal became the second Bangladeshi batsman to score a triple hundred in first-class cricket, getting to the milestone while playing for East Zone against Central Zone in a Bangladesh Cricket League match in Mirpur.
Tamim struck two fours in the 290s, both well-timed fours through the off-side field off Shuvagata Hom and Mustafizur Rahman, before picking up a quick single to cross the mark in the second session on the third day. The first Bangladeshi triple centurion, Raqibul Hasan, who had scored 313 in March 2007, was incidentally on the field – in the opposition – when Tamim reached the landmark.
Overall, this is the third triple century to have come up on Bangladeshi soil, Kumar Sangakkara’s 319 in a Test match in Chattogram 2014 the other instance.
A sparse crowd, which included Bangladesh head coach Russell Domingo, selectors and BCB officials came out of their offices to applaud the left-handed Tamim, Bangladesh’s highest run-getter in international cricket.
Tamim began the third morning on 222, before putting together a big partnership with Yasir Ali for the third wicket, before going to to lunch on 279. He faced 407 balls and hit 40 boundaries to reach the figure.
The opening batsman has been batting since the first evening of this four-day game, having put on partnerships worth 62 with opening partner Pinak Ghosh and 296 with Mominul Haque, who made 111 on the second day.
Following a short break from the game, Tamim will make his Test comeback when Bangladesh play their first Test in Pakistan, in Rawalpindi, next month.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo