SA T20 league ropes in their first ever Bangladeshi cricketer

Incredible achievement for Bangladesh cricket. For the first time ever, a Bangladeshi cricketer is on the way to play in South Africa's own T20 franchise league, SA20. From the auction, Durban Super Giants picked Taijul Islam for the upcoming season. They secured the service of the experienced spinner for only 500,000 rand.

According to news reports from the Bangladesh media, to play in the overseas league, Taijul needs a No Objection Certificate from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). Once he receives clearance from the board, he will be free to play SA20 in South Africa. There were multiple renowned Bangladeshi cricketers who wished to try their luck in the auction, including stars like Mustafizur Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, and Mahmudullah Riyad, but they were not lucky enough. According to media reports, twenty-three Bangladeshi cricketers had registered; among them, only 14 made the final shortlist, and Taijul was the only one who got a deal.

It was a surprising move for the Durban Super Giants, as the spinner so far has had the most success in Test cricket, not in limited-over formats. For Bangladesh, the 33-year-old has played 55 Test matches so far and claimed 237 wickets at an economy rate of 3.05. In only his third Test, against Zimbabwe in Mirpur, he took 8 for 39, the best figures by a Bangladesh bowler in Tests.

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Taijul Islam first ever Bangladeshi cricketer to confirm a contract from SA20 franchise 

Notably, the left-arm bowler took part in only 2 T20Is for Bangladesh, where he bagged only one wicket at an economy rate of 8.28. It was the year 2019 when he played his last T20 International. 

But his stats in the Bangladesh Premier League are enough to catch attention. At an exceptionally good economy rate of 7.26, he took 61 scalps in 77 innings playing for 6 different teams.