Mushfiq wants to change Harare stats
Shakib Al Hasan (R) shares a light moment with Nasir Hossain (C) during Tigers' training session at the Harare Sports Club yesterday. Photo: Courtesy of Prothom Alo
Today's first Test between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe at Harere will see a collision of tides, and reveal much about the current state of the unlikely rivals. There are not many strands that bind the laid-back southern African country of Zimbabwe with the bustling Bangladesh, but cricket is possibly the strongest. The two have occupied the bottom rungs of Test cricket's ladder for more than a decade, and contests between each other therefore take on an importance higher than their respective rankings suggest.By the end of this match, whichever way it goes, a new pattern will be set. Bangladesh do not have happy memories of the venue, having lost all three of their Tests at the Harare Sports Club including an ignominious defeat on their last tour in 2011 against a Zimbabwe that returned to the Test fold after five years. A lot has changed since then -- the aftermath saw Shakib Al Hasan losing the captaincy and Bangladesh becoming a force to be reckoned with at home. Zimbabwe's star, on the other hand, failed to sustain that early high as their team struggled against stronger opposition since, culminating in a convincing 2-0 defeat in West Indies in March, a tour in which their batsmen struggled.
So when the two captains, Mushfiqur Rahim and Brendan Taylor, walk out for the toss today they will be looking to uphold their respective histories. On the eve of the match yesterday, Taylor talked about their last match against Bangladesh in 2011 and how the wicket was still the same, hoping that Bangladesh's batsmen still find the going tough on what the Zimbabwe skipper described as a 'lively' wicket.
Mushfiqur however was looking to sustain the Tigers' successes in recent years at home and to continue their trend of improving with each series.
“Not really. It's a great chance for us to change those stats,” said Mushfiqur when asked whether the last tour weighed heavily on his team, “As I said we did not have good memories against Sri Lanka, but we did it this time. This is another opportunity for us, so hopefully we are up for it and we would definitely like to change those stats.
“We had a great tour of Sri Lanka, so all the guys are pretty confident. The result is not in our hands, but we will make sure to do the processes right. As the coach told us yesterday, we do not need to think about who we are playing against, we are just thinking of the processes and doing the basics right and improving series by series, which we have been doing over the last one and a half years.”
About the pitch on which the Tigers struggled in 2011, Mushfiqur did not seem too bothered. “It is expected in Harare. As the coach (Shane Jurgensen) said, we played in similar conditions in Pallekele so we are used to it. If something is in the pitch our quicks also will have the same advantage, so we are looking forward to the challenge.”
Another pattern that the Tigers will try to change for good is their overseas record. They have become a formidable outfit at home, particularly in ODIs, but the overseas record still needs to be set right. It is a thought that seems to be foremost on the captain's mind. “For the last one and a half years we have played consistent cricket at home, but at the same time we could not replicate that abroad. But in 2013, our first tour (of Sri Lanka) was a very good one. It's history now, but we can take a lot of confidence from that -- not only as a team but many individuals also performed very well. Over the next five days if we can play consistent cricket, then we will see favourable results.”
Asked for the differences between the team that toured here last and the one he leads now, the skipper alluded to the differing amounts of cricket the two different sides played leading up to the tour. “The last time we played here we were playing Tests after 13 months, if I am not mistaken. Now we have been playing a lot of cricket and just recently finished a Test series in which we played very well. Also, I think this team has a lot of performers. At the same time, they (Zimbabwe) will be hard to beat at home, but I think if we do the basics right, we can come away with something positive.”
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