'Hard to quit when team is down'
A similar scenario was in store for those who were waiting for the national cricket team at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport yesterday morning.
For the umpteenth time this year, captain Mushfiqur Rahim took the helm at the press conference; replying to each and every question with caution and patience -- gambits that he has had to adopt several times this year.
While the press meet lasted for a good eight minutes, the end result seemed a bit futile; for these were statements that the captain had been using for the last nine months.
“We could not bat up to our expectations. We started the one-day series well but could not hold on to our performance. Inconsistency was an issue. Hopefully next time we won't throw away a game after being in an advantageous position,” said the captain when asked as to what went wrong in the tour.
The 'copybook' replies came out when he was asked to pinpoint the exact areas where Bangladesh fell behind.
“There are obviously many reasons. Nobody loses just like that. We lost wickets in crucial moments, our bowlers did not get breakthroughs when required. Overall we did not successfully fulfill our duties in both the Tests and the ODIs,” said Mushfiqur.
With a disastrous run for the Tigers this year and the Bangladesh Cricket Board mulling over the option of 'split-captaincy', questions regarding Mushfiqur's leadership skills were bound to be asked.
As he did so a number of times before, the captain -- instead of defending his position -- merely forwarded the matter to the board.
“That's the board's decision. They can speak best on the matter. They will do whatever is good for the team. I am not any one who can take a decision on it. They have given me the responsibility and if they want they will take it back,” said the wicketkeeper-batsman.
“But it's hard to quit when the team is going through such a rough patch. My challenge will be to get this team back to the good old days and I will try my best to do that,” he added.
Asked if the concept of 'split-captaincy' would relieve him of some pressure he replied: “Whether I am a captain or not, there will always be pressure if you are playing for the Bangladesh national team. So from that aspect the decision is theirs (BCB) to take. If they think that's the right way to go, then why not.”
Mushfiqur's replies were in a sense aimed at balancing the act, by not providing any specific information. Unfortunately for the captain, the board does not seem to be on the same track. BCB president Nazmul Hassan Papon in August had said that the board was keen on enforcing a'split-captaincy' system.
With the Zimbabwe series less than a month away, the board does not have much time to decide. Will Mushfiqur Rahim lead the Tigers at home once again this year? Or is change imminent? Only time can tell.
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