‘Aim is to remove limitations and become more versatile’

Mushfiqur Rahim has been Bangladesh's main man in the T20I format for a long time and it is his sheer ability to score runs all over the wicket along with the innate skill of catching the tempo of a match that sets him apart from his peers.

But upon coming back into the side for the series against New Zealand after missing a few series, he struggled to play according to his merits. Far from getting bogged down, however, Mushfiqur found the ammunition to improve his game further and the right-hander went to work with Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, a long-time mentor to the wicketkeeper-batsman and many national team cricketers.

At BKSP, Mushfiqur found the solace of what he calls home and, in his mentor, the perfect guide to edge him towards the right mindset following a disappointing series at home.

Asked whether the 34-year-old was working through his struggles in the last series, Fahim told The Daily Star that it was not about working on problems, but about enhancing Mushfiqur's T20 capabilities: "Yes, but there are two things. Wickets had fallen before he came into bat or wickets fell at the other end while he was batting. Also, the conditions were a factor. There were fewer opportunities to bat aggressively. Even then, his game was quite timid. I feel that the work we are going to do for three days will allow him to get out of that zone and feel free; just as one needs to feel in T20s. Hopefully, when he plays the practice matches, we will get to understand the condition he is in."

Mushfiqur's work at BKSP currently is to hone his overall ability for the format. "Finding a new avenue is his aim. In T20s, there is the matter of playing 360 degrees but not everyone is able to do that. So, try to remove those limitations and hopefully he will become more versatile in T20s."

A scoop, a lofted cover drive or the big hits over mid-wicket, Mushfiqur is adept at playing them all. One of the hardest workers in the Bangladesh side, Mushfiqur's confidence was perhaps dented from playing the last series at home on low turning wickets. "Maybe there was some shortage of confidence after that. I don't know if that happened but when you play five or six matches like that, it's natural for anyone to feel like that."

Mushy had been keen to get the right connections to his power shots since returning to net practice after the series against the Kiwis. Fahim drew a comparison with boxing in terms of the challenge Bangladesh batters face in T20Is.

"If I give an example, Test cricket is like boxing. When you fight one-on-one, there is focus on that one person in front of you but if you have two in front of you, your whole equation changes regarding going left or right and so does your state of readiness. T20 is such that your state of readiness has to be different.  I discussed that with him and we felt that there was an opportunity to increase his range of shots."