Hasan Mahmud: three historic wickets and Bangladesh’s lead

Hasan Mahmud dismissed Ismat Alam, Qais Ahmad and Zia-ur-Rehman with three consecutive deliveries in the Test between Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The final wicket, initially not awarded, was confirmed after a DRS review. The feat helped Bangladesh end day three with a 329-run lead, but it did not settle the result: the one-off Test in Abu Dhabi was scheduled for October 9–13.

First wicket: Ismat Alam

The sequence began when Mahmud deceived Ismat Alam and uprooted his off stump. The ICC’s account of the hat-trick says the bowler was finding movement from the surface and was trying to keep the ball upright to generate swing.

That first wicket created the opportunity, but the hat-trick still required dismissals with each of the next two deliveries. It is therefore useful to distinguish the quality of the opening ball from the rare statistical achievement that would only be completed afterward.

Second wicket: Qais Ahmad

Qais Ahmad was the second batter dismissed. The ICC source does not specify the method of that dismissal, so details about contact, a catch or the umpire’s decision should not be added. What is confirmed is that Qais fell immediately after Ismat, putting Mahmud one delivery away from the hat-trick.

The sequence formed part of a five-wicket performance: Mahmud finished Afghanistan’s first innings with 5/55 from 21 overs. Four of his wickets came on the third day.

Third wicket: DRS confirmed the LBW

For the decisive ball, Mahmud bowled straight and struck Zia-ur-Rehman on the pads. The LBW appeal did not initially produce a wicket, so Bangladesh turned to the Decision Review System.

Mahmud said the team had already lost reviews in the first innings, which prompted caution before the challenge. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and Litton Das discussed the delivery and convinced him that the ball would hit the stumps. The review confirmed the LBW and completed the three consecutive dismissals.

His account also explains his technical intention: attack the top of the stumps and allow the ball’s movement to do the rest. That explanation comes from the bowler himself, rather than being a reconstruction based only on footage.

Why the achievement is historic

Mahmud became the first Bangladesh fast bowler to take a Test hat-trick and only the third player from the country to achieve one. The previous two were Alok Kapali against Pakistan in 2003 and Sohag Gazi against New Zealand in 2013.

The distinction matters: “first” applies specifically to Bangladesh fast bowlers, not to every player from the country. According to the ICC, Mahmud was also coming off a nine-wicket match haul in Bangladesh’s Test victory over Australia in Darwin. The Afghanistan Test, however, was not part of the World Test Championship cycle.

Match impact without declaring an early winner

At stumps on day three, Bangladesh were 223/6 in their second innings and led by 329 runs. That was a substantial, verified advantage at that point, but it was not yet a victory. The score could still change over the remaining days.

The one-off Test opened a wider programme in the United Arab Emirates. The official ICC schedule allocated October 9–13 to the match. Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe were then due to contest an ODI tri-series from October 17–23.

Mahmud was also selected for that 50-over competition. The squad announcement published by the ICC named Litton Das as captain and scheduled another Afghanistan–Bangladesh meeting for October 21. Dates and arrangements may change, so check the official pages before following the upcoming matches.