The cross-format master
Cricket has remained the dominant sport in Bangladesh and once again, a cricketer emerged as The Daily Star's Sportsman of the Year 2018.
There were quite a few candidates in the list such as Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Mehedi Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam. But it was Mushfiqur who stood above in terms of his performances in all three formats and more importantly his match-winning contributions for Bangladesh in 2018.
Mushfiqur finished as the top run-getter for the Tigers in ODIs -- a format Bangladesh performed brilliantly in 2018, winning 13 out of 20 games. The experienced cricketer compiled 770 runs in 19 matches at a staggering average of 55. More important was the impact each of his innings had.
His only ODI hundred of the year came against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup in September in Dubai, where Mushfiqur single-handedly guided the Tigers to a challenging total of 261 with an innings of 144.
The Tigers eventually won the game by a huge 137-run margin. Mushfiqur was instrumental throughout a tournament that the Tigers finished as runners-up, adding a 99 in the do-or-die game against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi.
The 31-year-old also stood out in Tests, even though Bangladesh did not have a great time in the format in 2018. Mushfiqur was the second-highest run-getter with 490 runs in eight Tests at an average of 35.
It was a true master-class from Mushfiqur when he became the only wicketkeeper-batsman in history to hit two double-centuries when he hit the unbeaten 219 -- Bangladesh's highest Test score -- in the 217-run win over Zimbabwe in Mirpur. The patience and concentration displayed in the flawless innings made it one of the best Test knocks by a Bangladeshi batsman.
In T20Is, Mushfiqur scored 397 runs in 16 games -- the second-highest for Bangladesh in 2018 -- at an average of 30.53 with three fifties. It was his unbeaten 35-ball 72 that helped the Tigers to post their highest ever T20I total by successfully chasing down the huge target of 215 against Sri Lanka in the Nidahas Trophy in Colombo in March.
In a year that Bangladesh excelled in ODIs but left a bit to be desired in Tests and T20Is, Mushfiqur's cross-format mastery is the example to follow and propelled him to the top of the list of Bangladeshi sporting achievements in 2018.
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