Still a long way from being a force to reckon with in Test cricket, Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim feels consistency is the key for them to make progress in the toughest format.
Published : 19 Oct 2016, 06:27 PM
Bangladesh will play their first Test in more than 14 and a half months - their longest break from the five-day game - when they take on England in the first of the two Tests in Chittagong on Thursday morning.
Such long breaks in fixtures have made it consideraby harder for the Tigers to make strides in Tests. They currently languish on ninth among ten Test-playing nations, above Zimbabwe and below West Indies.
Bangladesh have improved significantly in limited-overs cricket, especially at home where they did not lose a bilateral ODI series in two years until England snapped that streak last week.
But they have usually struggled to sustain the intensity over five days and the lack of experience in their pace attack also compromises their ability to take 20 wickets in a Test.
The skipper, however, was more subtle in his view.
"The last two years we played ODIs very consistently... we want that in Tests too, to get better with each Test," Mushfiqur said on Wednesday.
"If we [are consistent] over five days, we can reach a position where we can win. So I think that is what the coach meant that if that happens it will be a bonus.
"And even if it doesn’t happen, if we can keep fighting over five days and play well to prove that we have the ability to compete physically and mentally," he added.
The 28-year-old is aware that the day-time heat may play against England and wants to use the conditions to the hosts' benefit.
"Maintaining concentration and consistency over five days will be challenging. I think it will be more difficult for them than it will be for us, as they are not habituated to this weather, though they have been here for around 15-20 days," he said.
"We'll try to maximise our advantage to the full, be it from the wicket or the weather conditions."
"With [injured finger] you can keep for 10, 12, maybe 50 overs but keeping for 100 overs is a different thing. Now I am fit, so if the team management wants, I will keep. I have kept and scored 200, and I have kept and scored zero too. So it doesn’t affect me," Mushfiqur said.
England Captain Alastair Cook will overtake Alec Stewart to become his country's most-capped Test player on Thursday. He will be making his 134th Test appearance.
Mushfiqur paid tribute to the 31-year-old England skipper saying, "He is a role model for any young player - the way he has played in the last 10 years."
The match is set for a 10am start at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.