Mushfiqur: the warrior monk

Normally when choosing the picture of a centurion, images of the batsman raising his bat to acknowledge the applause or of an attractive shot with eyes on the dispatched ball (see left) make it to the top of the pile. However, nothing sums up the mastery Bangladesh batsman Mushfiqur Rahim displayed yesterday more than a picture of him leaving the ball, eyes closed in monk-like determination and contemplation of the task at hand.

And it was a difficult task as he came in to bat with Bangladesh on 26 for three during a torrid morning session which saw Zimbabwe pacers Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara and Donald Tiripano making the ball talk. He let the ball talk and responded with silence, knowing perhaps that it was all up to him -- the best batsman in the side -- to buck Bangladesh's disturbing trend of not once crossing 200 in their last eight Test innings. The batsman who can terrorise bowlers in the death overs in limited-overs matches scored just 16 runs from his first 55 deliveries before hitting -- a square drive off Sikandar Raza.

His unbeaten 231-ball 111 contained eight more boundaries, which he will be looking to add to on today's second day. While Mominul Haque, his partner in a 266-run fourth-wicket stand, had to count on two Zimbabwean fielding lapses to continue batting, Mushfiqur's sixth Test ton was flawless and not even shaky despite the probing line employed by the pacers. After the tea break, Zimbabwe bowled nine excellent overs and gave away just 13 runs, but not once did Mushfiqur seem under pressure as he trusted his rock-solid technique to guide him through the tough period.

He rewarded himself soon enough, nudging his 187th delivery for the all-important single, and let out a roar that he was equal parts warrior and monk.