Bangladesh wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim, during the second ODI against England at Mirpur, surpassed the tally of the legendary Wasim Akram for the most number of matches played at a single venue. The senior Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batsman has now played 78 ODI’s at Mirpur, while Akram, who previously held the record of most ODI’s at a single venue, played 77 games at the iconic Sharjah Cricket Ground.

Mirpur at present has become the hub of cricket in Bangladesh and visiting teams usually play all their ODI’s and T20I’s at this venue. Thereby, Rahim playing so many matches at Mirpur wasn’t a bit of a surprise. When ODI cricket began blossoming in its early days, it was mainly due to the packed houses witnessed at Sharjah in the Middle East, where teams from all across the globe featured in tournaments. Pakistan had a great crowd support at Sharjah, and thus Akram featured in 77 games out there.

The third player on the list, to have played the most number of ODI’s at a single venue, is Rahim’s teammate and Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib-al-Hasan. The southpaw has featured in 73 games at Mirpur. The next spot on the list is held by three players, namely Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene of Sri Lanka, along with Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal with 71 games.

While the Sri Lankan pair has played 71 ODI’s at the R. Premadasa stadium, Tamim Iqbal, like his teammates, has featured in 71 games at Mirpur.