DHAKA, August 20, 2109 (BSS) – With one-off Test match against Afghanistan approaching fast, Mushfiqur Rahim switched his mood to longer version format in a bid to thrive here and his main focus is understood to neutralize the Afghan spinners who are believed to pose a danger to Bangladesh.
It was evidenced in his practice method. He was seen batting for hours against some spinners at the center wicket of Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Tuesday after completing his daily fitness drill in the conditioning camp.
Mushfiqur arranged the spinners all by himself and even offered them cash gave awards so that the spinners who were bowling him at the nets have some kind of motivation to do their job properly.
Considering the absence of Tamim Iqbal, who took a break from cricket, a lot will depend on Mushfiqur and knowing that the most dependable batsman of the country is looked to take the onus.
Apart from the national bowlers it was observed that there were some unorthodox bowlers available at the nets picked by Mushfiqur considering he is well aware that the Afghanistan bowling unit will be largely packed by slow bowlers with an aim to conquer their opposition.
Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi will be the most threatening object for Bangladesh in the Test series that also includes uncapped left-arm spinner Zahir Khan, who made his ODI debut against Ireland earlier this year.
The tourist spin department will be bolstered with the presence of Mujeeb-ur-Rahman in the shorter format.
The batting approach of Mushfiqur in the nets clearly suggested he had something in mind and was playing shots with the bottom hands on most occasions only suggested he wanted to make sure that there is minimal risk while playing his shots against slow bowlers.
“I am not growing any younger, so I will try play in a way that I will have more impact. To be honest, I am in the last phase, so I don’t have any time to relax. After playing cricket for 10-15 years now, it is high time to take my game to the next level – like playing a match-winning innings and not just a 50 or 60. I have gained that belief [to take my game to the next level] because when you perform against a strong attack, in tough conditions, you gain that.” Mushfiqur said earlier.
And the practice method that adopted unlike his other colleagues clearly suggested how desperate he is to score runs in the one-off Test series.