Two Bangladeshi players – Test and T20I skipper Shakib Al Hasan and his immediate predecessor as Test captain Mushfiqur Rahim – were named in espncricinfo's Test Team of 2017.
The world's most prominent cricket news portal espncricinfo.com published the best Test eleven on Wednesday.
The 30-year-old greatest all-rounder Bangladesh ever produced, Shakib was placed in 6th and wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur in the 7th of this best eleven along with three Australians, two each from South Africa and India while one each from the England and New Zealand cricketers to fill the places.
Shakib in 2017, despite taking a break from Tests during Bangladesh's humiliating tour of South Africa, played seven Tests to score 665 runs including his test career-highest 217 against New Zealand at average 47.50 in 14 innings. With ball, Shakib got 10 wickets - five wickets in each innings -- for their maiden win against giant Australia by 20 runs in August in Dhaka.
Shakib is now the 2nd highest Test run getter of Bangladesh with 3594 runs from 51 matches at average 40.38, just 292 runs behind most aggregator Tamim Iqbal who played 52 matches.
The diminutive wicketkeeper batsman Mushfiqur played eight Tests to score an impressive 776 runs, with this year best 159 runs against New Zealand, at average of 54.71 in the year 2017.
According to UNB, Shakib and Mushfiqur shared an innings of 359 off 82.2 overs in an innings against New Zealand in a Test at Basin Reserve in January to break the previous highest partnership record of Bangladesh, 312 off 75.4 overs, made by Tamim and Imrul Kayes against Pakistan in Khulna in 2015.
Shakib and Mushfiqur have also been placed in the Guardian Test XI and Cricket.com.au's Test XI of the year 2017.
Cricket.com.au is Cricket Australia's official site while Guardian is a renowned UK newspaper.
Espncricinfo's Test team 2017: Dean Elgar (South Africa), David Warner (Australia), Cheteshwar Pujara (India), Virat Kohli (Indian Captain), Steven Smith (Australian Captain), Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh Captain), Mushfiqur Rahim (Bangladesh), Nathan Lyon (Australia), Kagiso Rabada (South Africa), James Anderson (England) and Neil Wager (New Zealand).
