Hasan Mahmud etched his name into Bangladesh cricket history on October 11, 2026, becoming the first pace bowler from the country to take a hat-trick in Test cricket. The milestone arrived on the third day of the one-off Test between Bangladesh and Afghanistan at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
The 26-year-old right-arm fast-medium bowler produced three successive dismissals in the 83rd over to complete the feat. He first bowled Ismat Alam, then had Qais Ahmad caught behind by Litton Das, before trapping Zia-ur-Rehman in front of the wicket off the very next delivery. Afghanistan were positioned at 221 for eight at the moment the hat-trick was sealed.
Hasan ended the innings with figures of 4 wickets for 39 runs from 18 overs, bowling four maiden overs in the process. His controlled spell was the standout bowling performance of the Afghanistan innings and placed him at the centre of a historic afternoon for Bangladesh cricket.
How did the third dismissal complete the hat-trick?
The delivery that dismissed Zia-ur-Rehman was not immediately rewarded. The on-field umpire turned down the lbw appeal, prompting Bangladesh to take a review. UltraEdge confirmed there was no edge onto the bat, and ball-tracking returned three reds, showing the ball pitched in line, struck in line and would have gone on to disturb the stumps. With the decision overturned, the hat-trick was officially confirmed.
The sequence of three wickets in three consecutive balls in the 83rd over represented a moment that no Bangladeshi pace bowler had managed across the entire history of Test cricket before that afternoon in Abu Dhabi. The use of the Decision Review System proved decisive, as the hat-trick would not have been registered without the successful challenge that overturned the on-field call against Zia-ur-Rehman.
Where does Hasan Mahmud stand among Bangladesh’s Test hat-trick takers?
Hasan is only the third Bangladeshi bowler to take a hat-trick in the longest format of the game. Alok Kapali was the first, achieving the feat against Pakistan in Peshawar in 2003. Sohag Gazi followed a decade later, dismissing three New Zealand batters in consecutive deliveries in Chattogram in 2013. Both Kapali and Gazi are spin bowlers, which means Hasan stands alone as the only pace bowler from Bangladesh to have taken a Test hat-trick.
The achievement came in a one-off Test fixture at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, a venue that has hosted several high-profile neutral-venue Tests over the years. Hasan’s 4-39 from 18 overs, with four maidens, underlined his ability to maintain discipline and generate wicket-taking deliveries across a sustained spell. His place in Bangladesh’s Test history is now secured alongside Kapali and Gazi, though he occupies a category entirely his own as the country’s first pace bowler to reach this landmark.
