Mushfiq has been the nucleus of the Bangladesh team for years now. The wicketkeeper-batsman is often considered the Tigers' best with the willow in recent times and not without reasons.
The diminutive batsman has been phenomenal with the bat recently in the longest format of the game, regardless of different conditions. The 29-year old smashed his fifth Test hundred in the historic Test match against India earlier this month, thus becoming the first Bangladeshi batsman to smash centuries in five different venues.
And ahead of Bangladesh's upcoming tour of Sri Lanka,
Dhaka Tribune caught up with the Tigers Test skipper for an exclusive interview in Mirpur's Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Thursday where he spoke at length regarding his batting and mental toughness, along with a few other topics.
Here are the excerpts:
You are the only Bangladesh batsman to score Test centuries in five different venues with your latest coming against India recently. How do you rate this unique record?Obviously it feels great to score a hundred for my country. And yes, it is special to score five centuries in five different venues and conditions. I always try to push my limits whenever I go out to bat or keep wickets. To be honest, I don’t think about any record while I bat. I just try to play according to the situation. Still, I never get satisfied and the hunger in me grows day by day. I want to improve my game continuously.
It has been a tough time for you both physically and mentally after being struck on the helmet and taken off to the hospital during the first Test in New Zealand recently. You fractured your thumb in the same match. It was learned that you wanted to return to the field after returning from the hospital. Tell us more.....Yes, it has been a tough time for me, both physically and mentally. I can remember the bouncer from Tim Southee in the second innings that struck me on the back of my helmet. For a fraction of a second, I felt dizzy and fell to the ground. The first thing that came to my mind was that if I had walked out of the ground at that moment, we wouldn't have been able to post enough runs and give a challenging target to New Zealand. So I tried to open my eyes and wanted to overcome the pain. I was ready to bat but I couldn’t as I was not feeling well. After that, there were quite a few things which came across my mind when they took me off the field by ambulance. And after the doctors checked me and I felt better, I came to the ground and thought of going out to bat again for my team. I think anyone in my place would have wanted to do the same thing as we all represent our country. Earlier, I fractured my thumb and it was difficult for me to grip the bat. But still I tried to forget the pain and went out to bat in the second innings. It was a bit difficult as Neil Wagner was continuously dishing out bouncers and I was suffering from pain every time I connected with the bat. Still, I tried my best to avoid playing the short deliveries.
New Zealand players check on Mushfiq after he was hit on the head during day five of the first Test in Wellington on January 16, 2017
AFPYou made a record partnership with Shakib al Hasan against New Zealand in the same Test where he scored a double hundred and you registered your fourth hundred. Later, you struck a century against India in the much-awaited one-off Test. Which ton do you rate better?Both the hundreds are equally important to me as both were struck in two different conditions and situations. The hundred against New Zealand is special for me as it came in a difficult condition in Wellington. Shakib and I had a great time with the bat together and as I said before, batting with him is always relaxing as a partner. He played brilliantly to score his maiden double hundred. On the other hand, the century against India is also significant as we were playing against the number one Test team, at their own soil. We were in a difficult situation. I had to play a big innings against two of the best spinners in the world in [Ravichandran] Ashwin and [Ravindra] Jadeja. So yes, every hundred is special to a batsman but I would have felt a lot better if my team ended up on the winning side, which eventually did not happen.
You have played 52 Tests and scored 3072 runs at an average of 34.51, including five hundreds. Where do you want to see yourself when you finish your career?As you mentioned, I have only played 52 Tests in my 12-year career, which I think is certainly not enough. But yes, I have tried to utilise each and every single innings I played so far, be it with the bat, behind the wickets or being the captain of the side. I don’t want to set any specific targets with my batting but I would definitely want my average to improve to somewhere around 40-50 when I finish my career. I still believe I should have scored more runs. At times I made silly mistakes which cost me badly.
Mushfiq grins after completing his hundred against India during the one-off Test in Hyderabad during day four on February 12, 2017
AFPYou have smashed the only double hundred against Sri Lanka back in 2013. Bangladesh will tour Sri Lanka later this month for two Tests followed by three ODI and two T20I series. What is your aim as a batsman and also as a captain of the Test team?Obviously I remember the double hundred in Sri Lanka where we played some brilliant cricket and managed to draw the Test against the host. Sri Lanka are always a tough opponent at home and once again, we are going to face some serious challenges. Being the captain of the side, I truly believe we need to improve a lot in the longest format of the game and we have the ability. At times, we make some silly mistakes in crucial moments which cost us. We are trying to improve in those areas. If we can play our best cricket, I think we will start winning Test matches consistently away from home.