Mohammad Ashraful. Photo: Collected

DHAKA, Nov 22, 2025 (BSS) - Bangladesh's batting coach Mohammad Ashraful 
revealed that the team management declared the innings early to give the 
bowlers maximum time to take 10 wickets against Ireland, a decision that 
prevented Mushfiqur Rahim from pushing for a rare milestone.

Mushfiqur was unbeaten on 53 when captain Najmul Hossain Shanto declared the 
second innings on 297-4. Having scored 106 in the first innings, he had a 
chance to become only the second batter after Ricky Ponting to hit centuries 
in both innings of a Test on his 100th appearance.

Ashraful said the priority was always the team's chances of winning, not 
individual achievements.

"Actually, it is a team game. There is no place for individual milestones, 
although I personally believe team performance comes from individual 
performances," Ashraful said after the day's play. 

"But there was a situation... We had already pushed the lead past 500 runs. 
We needed enough overs to take 10 wickets. Yes, we could have played another 
hour, but it wouldn't have looked good in the spirit of cricket. That's why 
the management decided to declare."

Mominul Haque, who was approaching what would have been his 14th Test 
century, was given time to reach the milestone, Ashraful added.
 
However, he fell for 87, shortly before the declaration.

When captain Najmul Hossain Shanto signaled the declaration, Mushfiqur ran 
off the field without any sign of frustration, which Ashraful said reflected 
his sportsmanship.
 
Ashraful, who began his coaching journey with this series, shares a long 
history with several members of the current squad. 

"When I was there, Mushfiqur made his debut in front of me, and I gave 
Mominul his Test cap in Galle in 2013. Apart from that, I've played with 
everyone in domestic cricket," he said, expressing his delight to get full 
support from everyone.

"Everyone has accepted me very well. I'm trying to share my experiences with 
them."

The former Bangladesh captain said his focus has been on strengthening the 
players mentally rather than changing their batting technique. 

"At this level, there's not much to change about technique. It's more 
important to have mental support," he said. "What should your routine be like 
before playing a ball? If you can simply remind them of those things, that's 
enough."