Mushfiqur Rahim regrets his hasty resignation from captaincy, but despite the pressure of the job and the fixing scandal, he is satisfied with the team’s consistency in the last six months
Interview by Mohammad Isam15-Jun-2013The six months between November 2012 and May 2013 have been eventful for Bangladesh. They had major wins against West Indies at home and made significant progress in Sri Lanka. But there was also the disappointment of losing to Zimbabwe, of Mushfiqur Rahim’s impetuous decision to resign as captain, and the match-fixing scandal that followed. Mushfiqur looks back at the highs and lows of the 2012-13 season, and the overall change in Bangladesh cricket, in terms of performance and attitude.How was it captaining Bangladesh in the last six months?
It was a tough period. We started well against West Indies, winning the ODI series. We were without some key players in Sri Lanka, but we still did well in those challenging circumstances.In Zimbabwe, probably their conditions were a huge factor, especially in the first Test. Losing that game had an effect on our confidence. We fought back in the second Test, but we were again up against the conditions in the ODI series. The facilities were not good enough, plus some of our main players were coming back from injury, like Tamim [Iqbal] and Shakib [Al Hasan].We lacked a bit in our application in Zimbabwe, but overall in the last six months, we have played a lot of consistent cricket.Are you a glass-half-full or half-empty sort of person, because there are two ways to look at this season.
We had a lot of positives this season. But there is a lot of talk if we lose one out of ten matches against lower-ranked sides like Ireland and Zimbabwe. Everyone expects us to win. We did fight back in the Test series, won the first ODI, and also fought back in the T20 series. If the finishing was better, we would have felt great, but yes, there have been many positives.Bangladesh’s international season began with you employing offspinner Sohag Gazi as an opening bowler against Chris Gayle. Was it a sign of your changing mentality as captain?
Traditionally, opening batsmen have started off comfortably against our pace bowlers. So we planned to do something different. Obviously they would have expected a left-arm spinner starting off. I was confident about using Gazi, and I will do it again if it brings the result for the team.Was it a victory for you, especially seeing how Gazi troubled Gayle later on?
I don’t know if it is my victory, but any captain will tell you that if their decision pays off, it’s great. The credit goes to the bowler, because Gazi was a huge part of that plan. He got hit for a six off his first ball in his very first international match, and that too by a batsman of Chris Gayle’s calibre. When Gayle was going after him, I kept telling everyone in between overs that Gazi will take his wicket. The way Gayle was going after him was not natural. He was trying to get Gazi out of the attack. I told Gazi, “Let Gayle hit you for four sixes, I have no problem. I know you will get him out if he makes one mistake.”In that first Test, Bangladesh made 500-odd in the first innings but couldn’t win the game. Does the nothing-to-lose mentality help you?
Even if we have nothing to lose, we are playing in front of our home crowd, so there’s pressure. But you look at our Test record – we are not a consistent team. We don’t do well against bigger teams, but we are growing up.Our on-field attitude has changed a lot. Our batsmen are scoring more runs, bowlers are taking five-fors. These are signs that our attitude is turning towards a match-winning one.Bangladesh beat West Indies in the second ODI with 90 minutes to spare. How did it feel? You are always on the wrong end of such a drubbing.
It was a dream game for us. They had just won the World Twenty20, and they had ten batsmen. We never thought that we would beat them so easily, but we had the confidence from the first ODI, which we also won.We can beat anyone in our home territory, in all three formats, if we play to our potential. Everyone has this confidence, and I must give credit to all the young players. They supported us throughout that ODI series. We were without Shakib, so the likes of Anamul Haque, Mominul Haque, Nasir Haque and Gazi really helped us.
“Now when Bangladesh play, nobody can tell what will happen until the last ball is bowled, whether against Australia or Ireland”
How was the Sri Lanka tour in March different from the previous ones there?
From the beginning of this tour, we tried to create a different environment in the dressing room, because Sri Lanka is one team that has been dominant against us. We have lost by an innings, lost inside three days.My message to the team was to change this attitude against them, whether we win or lose. We just wanted to play competitive cricket for five days. It was our minimum goal, and I am happy the players took it that way. We often did well in one session but gave away the next. We reminded the players at every session that our goal is not yet fulfilled. The coach and I kept telling everyone that the team has to do well, not just the individual.What did the double-hundred mean for you as a batsman?
I never actually thought that I would score a double-hundred. [Mahendra Singh] Dhoni had scored 200 against Australia the month before, and I thought that if he can score a double in such a short time, why can’t one of us? If they can score 200s so easily, when will we score these runs? I tried to give this message and fortunately, I made the 200. I was very excited at every landmark I was reaching. There was a session break in which I was waiting on 198. I told [Mohammad] Ashraful said that he slept in his room. If [Ashraful] is guilty, he should be given punishment. Our younger players should know this is a big crime. You cannot betray a nation. It doesn’t matter how big or small a player you are. At the same time, I hope he returns to cricket quickly.What does the immediate future hold for Mushfiqur Rahim, as a batsman and a wicketkeeper?
I have some personal goals but I don’t want to disclose them. I want to stay consistent, and being captain has helped me in that regard. I think I bat better under pressure, I enjoy it. Our next three series are all at home, and hopefully we can play at our best. As an individual player, I want to reach all my goals for this upcoming season.