Mushy's template for excellence
There was a priceless moment during a priceless innings by Mushfiqur Rahim on Saturday. It came after he had hit the boundary -- an end-of-range, one-kneed scythe over backward point to a wide yorker that defied belief because of the hand-eye coordination and control it showcased -- that brought the equation down to three runs off four balls and all but sealed the win over hosts Sri Lanka. There was no reaction from Mushfiqur, however, save an entranced fist bump with Mehedi Hasan Miraz.
Mushfiqur knew the perils of celebrating too early -- refer back to the 2016 World Twenty20 heartbreak against India for proof -- and so he waited till the moment was truly his. In doing so, Mushfiqur showed why he is the man to watch in the Bangladesh top order and it is not just because he is a joy to watch in full flow, but more importantly because the studious batsman is a shining example of learning from past mistakes.
Mushfiqur led the way in constructing the ideal T20 innings, both individually and from the team's perspective. Ideally, to maximise runs over 20 overs, one batsman is needed to bat through and cash in on his familiarity with the bowling and the pitch while two or three other batsmen need to chip in with fast-paced contributions. Above all, when faced with a gargantuan chase, it is imperative that the target is broken down into segments, such as a target score after every over or every five overs. Mushfiqur had a leading hand in both these approaches.
Tamim Iqbal's 29-ball 47 and the 19-ball 43 from the right-handed Liton Das -- whose promotion to the top of the order to counter Sri Lanka's ploy of opening with an off-spinner proved a masterstroke from the team management -- were crucial and glittering contributions, but they are also of the kind that Bangladesh fans have seen before, only for the hope created to be dashed by a failure to carry on the momentum by the other batsmen.
Even with all of these things falling into place, no one would have complained much if Bangladesh -- whose previous highest T20I score was 193 for five against the same opponents in Dhaka a month ago -- had fallen just short of a mammoth target as they had never before shown the ability to score over 200 in the format. But there was an X-factor looming in the Bangladesh dressing room, and he strode out at the fall of Tamim's wicket in the 10th over with the score on 100. More than half the work was left to be done.
An unbeaten 72 off 35 hardly does Mushfiqur justice because, while it was not the best bowling display from Sri Lanka, the home bowlers threw everything and the kitchen sink at the slightly built Mushfiqur and he threw the lot back with interest each time. In the 12th over, he backed away to the leg side and medium-pacer Dasun Shanaka was smart enough to bowl it wide outside off stump. Most batsmen around the world would not have been able to reach it, much less someone who stands five feet and loose change above ground level. But ever light on his feet, Mushfiqur arrested his momentum mid-delivery and, with the stillest of heads maintaining his equilibrium, smashed the ball over point for six. In the very next ball he moved to the other side and this time Shanaka, smartly once more, bowled a near yorker at Mushfiqur's feet at least four feet outside off stump and was scooped to the fine leg fence for his trouble.
If these shots -- and the dug-out sixes he hit off spinners Danushka Gunathilaka and Jeevan Mendis -- showcased his high skill, the last two shots were proof that inside his small frame beats the heart of a Tiger. In the 19th over, when 16 runs were needed from eight balls and with the familiar story of dashed hopes unfolding, Mushfiqur hit a Nuwan Pradeep full toss not just over midwicket but into the third tier of the stand behind the ropes.
Minutes later, he had not only won the match but gifted his team the template to score big in T20 matches. 44 of his runs had come from five fours and four sixes, but the 28 others came from 22 balls shrewdly manoeuvred into gaps to keep the scoreboard moving when boundaries were hard to come by. That is one more lesson learned by the keen student from the 55 balls Bangladesh had wasted in the first match against India. Mushfiqur played only four dot balls in a 35-ball stay, and the last of them came off the third ball of the 14th over.
Admittedly the template depends a lot on Mushfiqur's rarefied excellence of skill and spirit, but the real value of this innings is that it will remain as an example for his teammates to follow in the days to come.