Want Bangladesh to become competitive in Tests both home and away: Mushfiqur Rahim

Veteran Bangladeshi batsman Mushfiqur Rahim will be a key member for his team in the upcoming edition of the Champions Trophy. The Bangladeshi side has made giant strides in the world cricket in the recent times. Their most recent achievement was surpassing Sri Lanka in the ODI rankings. Rahim surely has played a great role in taking the team to great heights.

Mushfiqur Rahim might seem like a youngster on the blocks but has completed 12 years of international cricket. After completing 12 years with the national side, Rahim recently spoke at length about his journey thus far in a conversation with the Dhaka Tribune. He noted that the journey has been splendid ever since he made his debut at Lord’s.

“It feels amazing and fascinating when I look back and see that I have completed 12 years in international cricket for Bangladesh. I was just a kid at the time when I made my debut. But who wouldn’t have asked for a debut at Lord’s? Bangladesh cricket has come a long way. Being the captain of the Test team, it’s the biggest honor for me,” he quoted.

When asked to elucidate on where he aspires to finish his cricket career, Mushfiqur Rahim remarked that his aim is to see Bangladesh perform well in both home and overseas conditions. He loves shouldering the responsibility of the captain in the longest format of the game.

“I haven’t set any specific targets but as I said previously, I want to see my average around 40-50 in Tests when I finish my career. At the same time, being the captain of the Test side, I want Bangladesh to become a competitive team as we are now in ODIs both home and away,” said Rahim.

On lean patches

Things have not always been on a sweet note for the Bangladeshi team. Also, Rahim, on the personal front has not been a very consistent performer. He has had his lean patches duri12-year12 year long career. Speaking on this, he noted that every player goes through such phases in life. He added that no player or individual underperforms intentionally and the lean patches help them become better players.

“Look every cricketer goes through some good and bad phases in his career. So did I. But one thing I should tell you is that we, the players who play for the Bangladesh team, try to give our best whenever we wear the jersey and walk out into the field. I don’t mind people criticizing me when I don’t play well. But we never, ever play badly deliberately. I have seen so many things during this time, which actually made me a better person, and also a better cricketer. In Sha Allah, I hope I will learn day by day,” quoted the wicket-keeper batsman.

 On Champions Trophy

Talking about the upcoming edition of the Champions Trophy, Mushfiqur Rahim stressed on the fact that they are placed in a tough group. Earlier, skipper Mashrafe Mortaza had also quoted that they have a tough pool in the tournament. However, he believes that the team can beat any opposition on their day.

“We are improving every day and in the 50-over format, if we can give our best on a particular day, we can beat any side in the world. But practically speaking, we are in a very tough group and have to be on our toes and go match by match. Obviously, we have the ability to play better cricket. If things go well in all three departments, we can win,” he conceded.