Former Bangladesh Test captain Mushfiqur Rahim is delighted with the Tigers’ rise in the ICC Test ranking. In accordance with the latest update, Bangladesh moved up to No 8, leapfrogging the West Indies, for the first time ever since the ranking was introduced.
The update took into consideration Test matches played from May, 2015, to April, 2017, carrying 50% weightage, while games played since then carried 100% weightage.
The Windies lost five rating points and are now on 67 while Bangladesh gained four rating points to reach 75, eight clear of the Caribbean side.
Mushfiq said promotion in Bangladesh's Test ranking is evidence of the team's hard work over the past few years.
"We are rising in the graph and I am very happy for that. We were moving forward in ODIs and now we have showed improvements in Test. We have not been able to progress in T20Is unfortunately, but our last series (Nidahas T20I tri-nation 2018) was a good outing for us. The improved ranking shows the hard work we have put in in the past four or five years. I am sure this is not the outcome of performing well only in one series," said Mushfiq to the media Tuesday.
The wicketkeeper-batsman believes now is the time to work harder to maintain the ranking and move up in the ladder.
"It is always tough to hold onto the improvement, and to move up the table. But we have enough able players in the dressing room to hold onto the improvement and progress to new heights," said Mushfq.
Bangladesh till April, 2017, from May, 2015, played 11 Tests, winning once against England and Sri Lanka respectively, losing six and drawing three matches. From May, 2017, till date, the Tigers have won only one game (against Australia at home), lost four and drew once.
"Of course the wins against Australia and England helped us. We had the intention of winning those games as we were playing at home and it is always tough for the visitors to play in Bangladesh. We were well prepared for those two series’. We won those and gained confidence," Mushfiq explained.