'A lot of work to do in Tests'
Mushfiqur Rahim is one name in Bangladesh cricket who, despite a track record of innings that arguably surpass those by his fellow senior members in terms of pure batsmanship, comes in for harsh criticism when he falters. After a dismal two-match Test series defeat against the West Indies where the wicketkeeper-batsman failed with the bat, Mushfiqur showed his quality in the limited-overs series. The former Bangladesh captain spoke to The Daily Star's Mazhar Uddin about the recently concluded tour of West Indies, his batting and also the regret at not being able to win the second ODI in Providence when he fell in the last over with the win in sight.
The following are excerpts from the interview:
The Daily Star (TDS): Do you wish to play county cricket ahead of next year's World Cup in England to adjust to the conditions?
Mushfiqur Rahim (MR): Obviously I have always dreamed of playing county cricket from the very beginning of my career. Our coach Steve Rhodes has worked with the Worcestershire Cricket Club previously. So he may be able help some of the Bangladeshi players to get teams to at least play a few matches ahead of the World Cup. We have already talked about it with the coach, and if he can manage through any connection to get us to play either limited-overs or longer-version games, it will be helpful not just for me but for everyone.
TDS: Although the limited-overs series in West Indies were brilliant, there are still questions over Bangladesh's ability in Test cricket after the Test series defeat. You also had a disappointing outing in both Tests with the bat. How do you evaluate that?
MR: Obviously there is always a challenge when you start a tour and you always want to look back and evaluate performance and the areas to work on. We toured West Indies after a long time and if you noticed, we struggled to adapt to the Dukes ball and Sri Lanka also struggled just before our tour. Although they managed to win a Test, it was still a struggle for their batsman. It was also challenging for us to play Tests after a long time in testing conditions, which is different from home where conditions are familiar. I think we lacked application, especially in the batting department. But we did manage to come back strong in the limited-overs series which was remarkable and also reflected our strong character. But still there is a lot of work to do in the longest format.
TDS: The senior members of the side are still taking the bulk of the responsibility, and there has been talk about the need for juniors to step up.
MR: Well, it's normal as those who bat at the top are the seniors and they have to take responsibility and score runs. We always try to do that but unfortunately that did not happen in the Test series. My message for the youngsters is that if they are thinking that this is the only opportunity for them to perform, it will put more pressure on them. They should remain calm and just do what they are good at, believe in their skills and enjoy the game rather than thinking about their place in the side if they are unable to perform. I spoke to Anamul [Haque] after the series and tried to tell him not to take extra pressure, to try to learn from mistakes and prepare hard and honestly. But still there are a few positives -- Mustafizur [Rahman] and Mehedi Hasan Miraz did pretty well throughout the tour and I think the rest will definitely do better in future.
TDS: You have very different roles with the bat in the three formats. How do you cope?
MR: To be honest, there is always pressure playing international cricket and I take it as a challenge in every single series and I look forward to it. There will be different situations in different formats where I might get very few deliveries, like in the first ODI and also through the T20I series [against West Indies]. On the other hand, Test cricket is a totally different ball game where the expectation from me is something else. I realise that and try to improve my game every day. Whichever format I play I try to be consistent and contribute for the team.
TDS: There were a few occasions when you were so close to winning a game with the bat but failed to do so. Do those incidents pop up in the back of your mind when you get into situations like the second ODI?
MR: Apart from the game against India during the [2016] World T20 in Bengaluru, I never felt that I have to finish the game in a particular delivery. At the same time, as we needed eight runs off the last over [in the second ODI against West Indies] and I was the only set batsman at the crease our plan was to play a big short in the first two deliveries as it would be difficult for the non-striker to hit, having just come to the crease. I could have taken a single if there was another set batsman who could go for a big shot, which was not the case. But I think the delivery was there to be hit for a six but I was unable to execute the timing. Obviously it feels bad not to take your team across the line as I always want to be the match-winner for my country. I am learning and definitely don't want to repeat the mistakes.
TDS: Any specific spot in the order you would want to bat in Test cricket?
MR: Normally, I feel good batting in the top order but it also depends on the demands of the team management and the game situation. But I have batted in various positions, apart from number three, and I think when I keep wickets I prefer to bat at number five or six as it's tiring after keeping wickets. But when I don't keep wickets I would prefer the number four position, but it depends on the coach and the team management.
TDS: How much are you enjoying the role of a finisher in T20s? Any specific area you worked on for big hitting?
MR: Nowadays in world cricket the scoring rates are getting higher and higher even in ODIs. Just being consistent will not work; you also have to work on your strike rate. So I am trying to take my game one level higher. I take it as a challenge and I hope I can prove myself adaptable in all three formats.