Bangladesh spin bowling consultant Mushtaq Ahmed praised veteran players Shakib Al Hasan and Musfiqur Rahim for playing a positive role in the team which has helped boost the morale of the players.
Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim are two of the senior players in the Bangladesh squad for the two-match Test series against Pakistan. Both have been in Bangladesh cricket for almost two decades across all formats of the game.
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Mushtaq Ahmed greets Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim
Speaking to the media ahead of the first Test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, Mushtaq Ahmed praised Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim for creating a positive atmosphere in the team. Mushtaq also praised the team management for creating a good team atmosphere.
“All the players are excited about the first Test match. Shakib (Al Hasan) and Mushfiqur Rahim are the senior players. They are playing a positive role with the boys. I also give credit to the management, who have been good with the players. Now the focus is on cricket,” Mushtaq said.
Shakib was recently playing in the Global T20 Canada, where he was leading his team, Bangla Tigers Missisauga. He has been through a lot in the past week. The star all-rounder was involved in a controversy when he decided not to show up for the toss in his team’s knockout match against Toronto Nationals, leading to his team’s elimination from the competition.
On the political front, Shakib Al Hasan lost his seat in parliament following the fall of the Awami League government in Bangladesh, after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to leave the country following a political crisis. During the GLT20 Canada match, Shakib was even booed by some of the fans.
On the other hand, Mushfiqur Rahim is currently involved in a four-day first-class match against Pakistan A in Islamabad. The match was severely affected by rain but provided much-needed game time to Rahim, who had not played a Test match in the last ten months.
Bangladesh set record in overseas Test series
Bangladesh have won just one series of two or more matches in overseas weather conditions during their cricketing journey. They managed it against West Indies in 2009. This makes their job in the upcoming Test series even tougher. But Mushtaq was confident that they would put in a good performance as they are heading in the right direction.
“A cricketer must have basic knowledge and belief to do well at this level, otherwise he will lose the battle. The skill level takes care of itself. We will give them the confidence that they can beat anyone,” Mushtaq said.
“Bangladesh are a good team. We saw that they challenged good teams in the World Cup. They are getting good fast bowlers. They are on the right track. If they keep learning and keep believing in themselves, hopefully they can start winning away games,” he added.
Mushtaq Ahmed praises Bangladesh spinners
Mushtaq Ahmed also praised the Bangladesh spinners for being good listeners and eager to learn. He explained his role with Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz and the thought process behind his role.
“The pitchers are very mature and eager to learn. My role is to talk about tactical and technical issues. The technical issues have to wait for after the game. Tactically, you have to tell the pitchers what angle to use, how to read the pitch, what pace to use, the field configurations for specific hitters. You need reminders despite your experience.”
“Taiju [Islam] and [Mehidy Hasan] “Miraz is a team that wins games. They are a fantastic group of lads. They are coachable and good listeners. It is an honour for me to work with them. I hope I can make a difference for them,” added the former Pakistani pitcher.
The two-match Test series will begin on August 21 in Rawalpindi. The series is crucial for both teams as they aim to score some important points in the World Test Championship (WTC).
Pakistan is likely to depend on their fast bowlers in this series as they have only one bowler in the form of Abrar Ahmed in their team. On the other hand, Bangladesh is likely to depend on their experienced bowlers like Shakib and Mushfiqur to play a key role in the series. They also have a decent attack that can cause problems for Pakistan.
