Captain Mushfiqur keen to continue Bangladesh wicketkeeping role

Bangladesh Test captain Mushfiqur Rahim wants to continue his role as the wicketkeeper-batsman despite making some glaring errors in the one-off Test against India.

India, the top-ranked Test team, consigned Bangladesh to a huge 208-run defeat just before tea on the fifth day in Hyderabad on Monday.

Mushfiqur, who scored 127 in the first innings on Sunday, is beyond a doubt integral to Bangladesh’s batting and has repeatedly shown his quality as the team’s middle-order mainstay.

But the 29-year-old's performance as the man behind the stumps and as captain during India’s first innings on the first two days of the game left much to be desired.

He faced the question of whether he would choose batting over his other roles numerous times over the last two  years. A local reporter asked him the question again in the post-match press conference.

Muhfiqur replied with a smile, “My average is not more than 34 or 33. So how can I be the number one batsman of Bangladesh?”

Although the exact figure is 34.51 in 52 Tests, it is safe to say he is the best at the moment for his gritty show in the Tigers’ fragile middle-order.

But controversies aside, he stands in for a crucial three-pronged duty for the team – captaincy, wicketkeeping and middle-order lynchpin.

Mushfiqur, who concedes that wicketkeeping is his weakest front, restated his enthusiasm to insure all three ends, but added that a final decision on the matter would fall upon the BCB.

“If you are entrusted with two or three roles, that means the management has shown faith in you. So, I need to deliver in all the three departments really well. If I am not doing well, that's up to the board to take a call on my future,” Mushfiqur said.

“At the moment, I am enjoying what I am doing as I love to spend time in the middle and the way you can do your job is to spend time in the middle rather than in the dressing room.

“There are people, who are sitting outside (BCB officials), they can take a decision but as far as I am concerned, I am happy to do all three. Captaincy is not in my hands. The board can analyse and take a call.”

The ‘analysis’ is underway this time.

Board chief Nazmul Hassan and cricket operations chief Akram Khan among others were in Hyderabad during the game which marked Bangladesh’s first Test in India’s backyard.

Mushfiqur’s captaincy is likely to go under the magnifying glass on the team’s return from India.

Bangladesh tour Sri Lanka next month. There is time if the board wants to make any change in the Tigers’ leadership and it could be one of the topics in the next board meeting.

Bangladesh clinched their first Test win against England in a drawn home series towards the end of last year. They then lost back-to-back games against New Zealand in January in what was Bangladesh’s first overseas tour in more than two years.