Mushfiqur Rahim

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim said yesterday that the Tigers have a good chance of creating history in Sri Lanka when the team embark on a full series against their strong subcontinental rivals. The Lankans have always been a hard nut to crack on their home soil and the Tigers have little to cheer considering their forlorn record in the island. But Mushfiqur was optimistic, taking into account their opponent's current strength and the Tigers' good showing in the last home series against the West Indies.
Former Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene will miss the series due to injury and the uncertainty over stalwart Kumar Sangakkara gave the Tigers skipper hope of turning the tide when they play two Tests, three ODIs and a T20I during their month-long trip.
“Without these two players (Sangakkara and Jayawardene) who each have 10,000 runs under their belts, Sri Lanka will not be a full-strength side and you know their bowling attack is also not outstanding. Sri Lanka won only a few Test matches after the exit of Murali (Muttiah Muralidaran) and (Chaminda) Vaas. So, it's a good chance for us to play good cricket there this time,” said a confident Mushfiqur while talking to reporters after the national team's practice session at the National Cricket Academy ground yesterday.
The wicketkeeper-batsman said that they will miss the services of their star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan but he has full confidence in his young brigade. “Shakib's absence is a big loss for us and in no way can you make- up his loss. But I have full confidence in my players, who showed their potential in the last series (against West Indies in November-December) and they also know that they are capable,” said Mushfiqur.
“We want to make a good start in Sri Lanka and be consistent in our performances. A competitive series in Sri Lanka will help us in our next important series in Zimbabwe in April,” he added.
Injuries are a big concern for the Bangladesh team following a hectic season but the captain was not too worried. Mushfiqur expressed his satisfaction over the local players' performance in the recently concluded Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and believed that the tour opening three-day match, starting from March 3 at Matara, will help them acclimatise with the conditions before the two-match Test series.