K Mashud

Touted as the best wicketkeeper in Asia by former Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore, Khaled Mashud was a valuable player in a Bangladesh side that struggled to create impact on the world stage. A handy wicket-keeper and a gutsy batsman, Mashud was a regular member of the side from 1995-2007.

Mashud's keeping skills were praised at the U-19 level and he was a steady number three batsman. He rose up rapidly and he was part of the Bangladesh A squad that played against England A in 1995. He also made his debut against India at Sharjah in 1995. His first claim to fame was during the 1997 ICC Trophy series. He topped the batting average for his country and won the Man of the Match award in the semi-final against Scotland for an aggressive 70. In the final against Kenya, Mashud slammed 15 runs off seven balls, including a six off the last ball to help Bangladesh cross the line in a nail-biter.

Mashud was inconsistent in ODIs but he played some notable knocks in the Test arena. His first major knock came against the West Indies at Gros Islet in 2004. Bangladesh were in trouble at 123/7 in the second innings, but Mashud batted wonderfully with the tail and his unbeaten 103 helped Bangladesh draw their first ever Test in the Caribbean.

He was captain of the team during the 2003 World Cup in South Africa but Bangladesh were humiliated by Canada and Kenya as they crashed out in the first round. Allegations of match fixing were flying around but none were proved and Mashud was stripped of his captaincy. With the emergence of Mushfiqur Rahim, Mashud was dropped for the 2007 World Cup and announced his retirement from international cricket in 2008.

As a keeper, his Test record of 87 dismissals from 44 Tests is not all that impressive. His ODI record is far better with 126 dismissals from 126 games, but it must be remembered that the Bangladesh bowling lacked menace.

Fun fact: Khaled Mashud's nickname is Pilot. His father, Shamshu Mashud, was a football player who helped his club Abahani win the Dhaka League title in 1977.

By Siddharth Vishwanathan