Mushfiqur Rahim’s sudden announcement of stepping down as Bangladesh skipper after the Zimbabwe tour has taken all concerned parties by surprise, making it the topic of the day. Following a 1-2 ODI series defeat, the emotional decision from the captain came as a bolt from the blue.
Everyone’s disappointment at losing the series lasted until the post-match conference as Mushfiq, who found it hard to bare the humiliation of losing against a weaker opponent, revealed his own decision.
Vice-captain Mahmudullah attended the media session and just when the question and answers were flowing normally, entered Mushfiq. “Not now,” came out from the deputy’s mouth. Everyone present in the press briefing was shocked to hear what followed.
Later, sources inside the team explained the reason behind the decision was the defeat and nothing else. “He (Mushfiq) took the decision based on our defeats. We all know how emotional he is. He was too frustrated with the team losing matches,” said a member of the team who preferred not to be named.
It was also learnt that after the match ended, Mushfiq’s colleagues requested him to re-think his decision and that the wicketkeeper-batsman was even barred from going into the post-match conference. Mushfiq managed to slip in anyway.
Later on that night, Mushfiq talked to Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan over the phone and expressed his reasons for the sudden decision. Nazmul was understanding of the captain’s situation and said, “There are two things to look at in his sudden decision. First, the team lost the one-day series and Mushfiq couldn’t perform well, too. He felt guilty about the result and quit the captaincy. I think this is a positive sign from him as he accepted his failure and resigned.”
But last night he called me up and he was literally very emotional talking to me and said that he is not getting the support from the team, he feels that he is not able to handle the side well. Mushfiq said that to be the reason why he stepped down from the captaincy,” concluded the BCB boss.
BCB has decided to sit with the team management and players upon their return from Zimbabwe to figure out the exact reasons behind the decision. If they find suspicious, the board is prepared to take hard decision against any guilty party.
Mushfiq took over the captaincy from Shakib al Hasan after the disastrous tour of Zimbabwe in August 2011. Under his leadership, Bangladesh have played 21 ODIs, winning eight of them. He guided the team to Asia Cup final for the first time and followed the good work with a 3-2 ODI series victory against West Indies.
Mushfiq’s double century against Sri Lanka helped Tigers to draw the first ever Test in the island nation, while the ODIs were tied 1-1. Reaction to Mushfiq decision Meanwhile Mushfiq’s decision was praised by country’s former and current cricketers. Despite being surprised by the sudden announcement, everyone thought the wicketkeeper-batsman should reconsider his decision and take the responsibility back. Raqibul Hasan
“Personally I am surprised with Mushfiq’s decision. But I took it positively that he took the responsibility for the poor result and stepped down. This is a rare quality among usual Bangladeshi captains who otherwise keep holding a position despite poor performance.”
“But I believe he is the perfect person to lead the side. He should reconsider his decision and guide the team in this crucial time.” Khaled Mahmud
“It was an unexpected decision from Mushfiq. He is a very emotional person and he is dedicated to his team. This is why he felt bad and resigned after the series loss.”
“He is a good leader and was doing well. I think the team needs his leadership in future times also. BCB should investigate into the problem and also about the performance in Zimbabwe and should take proper actions so that this type of issue does not arise in future.” Farhad Reza
“I played with him in the national team and also in the domestic arena. We all know how emotional he is by nature and he also feels for his team no matter if it’s at home or abroad.”
“I think it was a very emotional decision from Mushfiq as he considers himself guilty for losing the ODI series against Zimbabwe and I am sure he will change his mind.”