Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur says all wicketkeepers make mistakes

Mushfiqur Rahim’s wicketkeeping abilities on top of his Test captaincy and batting responsibilities is under scrutiny but he is still keen to continue all three roles for Bangladesh.

Mushfiqur spilling catches or squandering run out opportunities is a recurring sight in almost every Test match for the Tigers. But he has retained his position as first choice behind the stumps over his international career.

Being questioned about the matter is nothing new for the 28-year-old diminutive man. With the team set to fly to Sri Lanka on Monday for a complete series, the question inevitably came.

He feels any wicketkeeper can make mistakes.

“There are no wicketkeepers in the world who does not make mistakes. [Wriddhiman] Saha is the top wicketkeeper at the moment for me. I try to follow him in many aspects because he is very clean in everything he does,” Mushfiqur said on Sunday.

“Even he dropped catches against England. He also spilled [Mahmudulllah] Riyad’s catch against us. If Riyad managed to draw the Test for us, the scenario would have been different.”

Mushfiqur himself missed out on an stumping opportunity of the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman in the Hyderabad Test earlier this month. Saha then made Bangladesh pay by smashing a superb century.

“We are always on the alert, but still can’t avoid mistakes sometimes... [playing] cricket is our profession, no chance of being untrue here. We always try to keep things okay, but as humans, mistakes can happen sometimes,” he added.

Besides his wicketkeeping duties, Mushfiqur said he is also keen to continue his roles as the Test captain and being the middle-order mainstay with the bat.

It is a reiteration of what he said in Hyderabad at the end of Bangladesh’s first-ever Test in India’s backyard. Mushfiqur left the decision to team management then, and did the same on this occasion as well.

“I definitely enjoy [the roles]; I wish to continue doing them. But my wish does not make it final. The coach is there, so are the management and the board, they will decide what I will do.

“On a personal note, I still think my best contributions to the team will come through wicketkeeping and batting... the rest depends on the team management.”

On their month-long Sri Lanka tour, Bangladesh will play two Tests , followed by three ODIs and two Twenty20s with two warm-up matches before and after the five-day games.