'Deeds, not words'
Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim enters the field today with a full armoury. When a commander has his best weapons at his disposal he is bound to be a confident man and the Bangladesh captain was eagerly waiting to kick the WorldTwenty20 off in style.
“We are eagerly waiting for the opening match. We are confident. We will try to make a good start and from there we will hopefully keep the momentum,” said a confident Mushfiqur, whose jovial mood returned -- much like the side's confidence after winning the two warm-up games with the best available side -- as he spoke at a pre-match press conference after a training session at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.
Bangladesh captain also downplayed the hype surrounding the tough challenge against their opening opponents Afghanistan.
“I don't think like that (a tough match against Afghanistan). Our main target is to win every match, so as Afghanistan is our first opponents we will try to start with a win. You know even Nepal did well in the practice match and Hong Kong won two games. So every team is good. Undoubtedly tomorrow's match is very important for us to become group champions, so we are now concentrating only on this game,” said Mushfiqur. Bangladesh have been pitted in Group A along with Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Nepal and only the group champions will qualify for the second round.
Expectation is high as anything other than a win for the home side can take the gloss off the tournament. Does that place pressure on the home team?
“I don't think so. You must accept the pressure when you play international cricket. I think the last two years' performances enhanced expectations and Bangladesh earned this honour. But this is the time to perform, not to speak, and I hope it starts from tomorrow,” answered the wicketkeeper-batsman, who is also in good form.
The little man was also looking forward to leading the side from his comfort zone -- from behind the stumps. “I always enjoy leading the team from behind the stumps because you get a clear view including the minds of the bowlers from that position. Hopefully I will be keeping tomorrow,” said Mushfiqur, whose captaincy has come under the scanner after his side's some recent close defeats.
The skipper will undoubtedly be more comfortable leading the best possible side.
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