Mushfiqur goes berserk on Nasum but guides Dhaka
Beximco Dhaka captain Mushfiqur Rahim lost his cool quite a few times while defending a slim total against Fortune Barishal in the Eliminator game of the Bangabandhu T20 Cup today.
With every run being important, Mushfiqur's Dhaka got a stranglehold on Barishal's run-scoring until Afif Hossain started to assert his dominance. Afif's 55 was taking the game away from Dhaka and the both times Mushfiqur showed aggression, appearing to throw the ball at his own teammate, Nasum Ahmed was on the receiving end.
Mushfiqur's frustration boiled over in the 13th over when he chased a delivery by coming from behind the stumps but when looking to throw at the bowler's end, he found to his dismay that Nasum had himself come after the delivery without waiting at the bowler's end to take the throw. Mushfiqur was the picture of fury as he threatened to hit Nasum with the ball.
With Afif the only ray of hope in Barishal's innings thwarting Dhaka, then getting a life -- bowler Al Amin failing to collect the throw after Afif had wanted the second run but was caught stranded in the middle of the pitch – Mushfiqur's temper went off the rails.
In the 17th over, Afif then tried to ramp a Shafiqul Islam delivery but got the top-edge and as the ball flew towards fine-leg, neither Mushfiqur nor Nasum made the call to take the catch. Nasum, who was slightly behind Mushfiqur, was on a collision course but eventually avoided a crash with his captain and wicketkeeper. Mushfiqur was furious at Nasum's lack of focus during such a key stage which could easily have seen Dhaka lose the match and ended up threatening to hit Nasmum with the ball again, this time upon completion of the catch.
Nasum appeared a scorned figure in the team huddle as Mushfiqur, guiding his side with a very strict hand, kept going at the youngster. Despite on-field behaviour that veered dangerously close to assaulting his own player, Mushfiqur did in the end manage to defend the 150 runs through his field setup and planning throughout Barishal's chase.
The Dhaka skipper also had a go at bowler Shafiqul Islam late on due to the naïve length bowled by the bowler. Often times, players need a strict guiding hand on the field and usually a captain says something to instigate a reaction. While Mushfiqur's behaviour was on the edge, he got his team through with his intensity and demanding attitude.
Asked about the incidents with Nasum post match, the Dhaka skipper said: "Things are okay. Despite being on a winning streak, both as individuals and as a side, we have room for improvements."