BCB president Nazmul Hasan informed that he was unaware about the power-hitting ability of wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim.
Mushfiq’s 72 off 35 balls sealed a memorable win for the Tigers, who chased down 215 runs against host Sri Lanka in the Nidahas T20I tri-nation series at R Premadasa Cricket Stadium Saturday.
“We had the belief we can win against any team. But after watching our first game against India, I thought we have lost the confidence. After the India match, I had a meeting with senior players like Mushfiq, Tamim [Iqbal] and Mahmudullah. I think they understood what they had to do after that meeting. Winning and losing are both part of the game. But we have to play competitive cricket so that opponent can admire us,” said Nazmul to the media in Colombo.
Nazmul praised Mushfiq’s unbeaten, match-winning innings but admitted that he was not aware about his big-hitting ability. He also praised Liton Das’ cameo at the top of the order.
“I know Tamim, Soumya [Sarkar] can hit six. But Liton's power-hitting ability was unknown to me. And Mushfiq? I did not know he can hit so long. Actually in the last two years, he got dismissed in the boundary while trying to hit a sixer. We have a few six hitters - Tamim, Soumya, Sabbir [Rahman]. Mushfiq can also hit, but not like a player who can hit a six. Mushfiq though batted superbly. Liton really set the tone out there. And the rest of the batsmen batted really well. The execution of planning was really brilliant to watch,” said Nazmul.
The BCB boss criticised Sabbir’s causal approach following his run out dismissal at a crucial time.
"He did not even try and dive to complete the run. Who told him to take a single at that moment? I told him in front of everybody, 'You have not been sent to the middle to take single. Rather you were sent to hit sixer. You should have tried to hit boundaries',” the BCB boss added.
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
