Mushfiqur Rahim knows time is catching up. That much he admitted with rare honesty after scoring a century on the opening day of the Galle Test.
“Almost the end of my career,” he told reporters. “So every innings feels special now.”
He wasn’t exaggerating. At 38, the batter who’s been the backbone of Bangladesh’s Test lineup for nearly two decades is not just playing for runs — he’s playing to remind everyone that he still belongs.
And once again, in Sri Lanka, he delivered.
Unbeaten at stumps with a fluent century, Mushfiqur partnered with captain Najmul Hossain Shanto to build a towering 247-run stand — one that’s now inching toward record territory.
If they add just 19 more runs, the pair will surpass Mushfiqur’s own 266-run partnership with Mominul Haque against Zimbabwe in 2018.
Twenty-one runs more, and they will overtake the 267-run stand Mushfiqur built with Mohammad Ashraful in Galle back in 2013 — the same match where Mushfiqur became Bangladesh’s first Test double-centurion.
And with 26 more runs, they could outscore his 2022 record with Liton Das — a 272-run partnership against Sri Lanka at home.
To pass the 312-run stand between Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes in Khulna (2015), they’ll need 66.
But the ultimate milestone? Mushfiqur and Shakib Al Hasan’s 359-run stand in Wellington back in 2017 remains the highest Test partnership in Bangladesh’s history. To beat that, Mushfiqur and Shanto need 112 more.
That it’s even within reach says something. Not just about their form, but about Mushfiqur’s ability to show up when doubts start creeping in.
Because for months, the questions hadn’t stopped.
No half-centuries in 13 innings. No centuries. Talks of retirement started getting louder. People wondered if the team should start planning without him.
Then came Galle.
A pitch he knows well. A venue where he’s scored a double century before. And now, yet again, the setting for a quiet but emphatic response.
His name features in five of Bangladesh’s six highest Test partnerships. He shares those records with different partners — Shakib, Tamim, Mominul, Liton, and Ashraful.
That’s not just a stat. It’s a story of consistency. Of showing up in all conditions. With different teammates. Over different eras.
Somehow, the 2025 Galle innings has pulled all those threads together.
And as Day Two begins, with Mushfiqur and Shanto still at the crease, it’s not just about the scoreboard anymore.
It’s about legacy.
And if you’ve followed Bangladesh cricket even loosely, you know Mushfiqur Rahim’s name is already written all over it.
Now, he just might rewrite it again.
