Taijul Islam has etched his name into Bangladesh's cricket history, surpassing Shakib Al Hasan to become the nation's leading wicket-taker in Test matches. The left-arm spinner achieved this milestone during the ongoing Test match against Ireland at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka.

The 32-year-old reached the record on Saturday, November 22, 2025, when he dismissed Ireland's captain, Andrew Balbirnie, trapping him leg before wicket. The dismissal sparked immediate celebrations, with teammates mobbing Taijul in elation, and Mushfiqur Rahim even lifting him off the ground. Taijul continued his impressive performance by removing Paul Stirling soon after, further solidifying Bangladesh's position in the match.

Taijul Islam currently holds 248 wickets in 57 matches, while Shakib Al Hasan has 246 wickets in 71 matches. Mehidy Hasan Miraz is third with 209 wickets. Mohammad Rafique (100 wickets) and Mashrafe Mortaza (78) are the only other Bangladesh bowlers to have reached or neared the 100-wicket mark.

Taijul's achievement is made even more remarkable by the fact that he reached this milestone in fewer innings than Shakib. Taijul has played 57 Tests compared to Shakib's 71. Before claiming the record, Taijul demonstrated his prowess by taking a four-wicket haul in the first innings against Ireland.

In the ongoing Test, Bangladesh batted first and scored 476 runs. Taijul's 4 wickets for 76 runs helped restrict Ireland to 265 in their first innings. Bangladesh then declared their second innings at 297/4, setting Ireland a target of 509 runs.

Taijul's average of 31.14 and strike rate of 61.26 are the best among all Bangladeshi bowlers with a minimum of 50 wickets. This achievement underscores Taijul Islam's importance to Bangladesh's Test squad and highlights his consistent performance with the ball, particularly on home soil. He is now close to becoming the first Bangladeshi bowler to reach 250 Test wickets.