Mushfiqur Rahim has been a chastened character since Bangladesh’s traumatic defeat against India at the WT20. What next for one of his country’s most vital cricketers?
Mohammad Isam03-Oct-2016Even in November last year, Mushfiqur Rahim made runs for fun. But within months, the runs dried up and then one mistake on the field, and another off it, turned him into a different Mushfiqur. He is in dire need of a big one against England, which would put his doubters to rest. But the change in his persona has been remarkable, and some believe that his changed attitude is having an effect on his form on the field.The straight-shooter who took on the powerful even two years ago has slowly turned into a man who needs runs and to sharpen his wicketkeeping. There is very little chance of a question being raised about his commitment or place in the team, but Bangladesh rely on him for providing the push from the middle-order, and as a strong character in the middle who can take on the best bowling attacks in the world.Mushfiqur made only 56 runs in the three innings against Afghanistan, falling to the slog-sweep twice and before being dropped from the same shot at deep square-leg in the third game. Only he would know what’s best for him, and sticking to one’s strength is commendable, but sticking to a shot that is consistently letting him down could also be described as stubbornness.Behind the stumps, Mushfiqur had an even worse time against Afghanistan. He missed three catches in different times and a stumping that probably cost Bangladesh the second ODI. The lapses have led to renewed questions about his dual role in the team, an issue that dogged him throughout 2015.During the Afghanistan series however, Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza backed Mushfiqur even after his missed stumping in the second game. He said that as long as Mushfiqur was professional in his on-field duties, there could be no complaints. But there is a growing concern within the Bangladesh dressing-room about the air of distraction that he has produced over the last few months.
Mushfiqur usually arrives hours before his team-mates for training in Mirpur, and bats as long as possible. Even during match days
Some say that Mushfiqur’s excessive training is weighing him down, and it is a popular sentiment now that he hasn’t scored many runs. He usually arrives hours before his team-mates for training in Mirpur, and bats as long as possible. Even during match days, he has been known to arrive at the ground with an advance party, rather than his team-mates.In the past, Mushfiqur has gone through purple patches while training as much as he does now. But even great batsmen, such as Steve Waugh and Sachin Tendulkar, at different times of their illustrious careers, cut down on their training to sharpen their focus for the actual match. Waugh wrote about this phenomenon in his autobiography while Tendulkar opted out of net sessions for the entire 2003 World Cup.It is unknown whether he has been told to reduce his intensity in training, in keeping with many details of Mushfiqur’s life these days. But when Shakib Al Hasan recently said that doing the job in the middle is more important than the hours spent in training, there was naturally some comparison between the two players who went to the same sports institute in their teens and who made their ODI debuts in the same match at Harare in 2006. But Shakib and Mushfiqur are vastly different people, so it is also natural for them to have varied approaches to training.It is not hard to notice how Mushfiqur’s persona changed after this year’s World T20, particularly following the match against India in which he celebrated before the win was sealed. He got out the next ball, and Bangladesh went on to lose by one run. The public reaction veered from numbness to outrage but there were very few in Bangladesh’s mainstream media who blamed him directly. Mushfiqur however made the mistake of tweeting his happiness when India exited the tournament in the semi-final. He quickly deleted the tweets but it was bound to become viral and remain in the search engines as screenshots. The direct abuse he took was brutal, and some weeks later he was reportedly reprimanded by the BCB.For a long time, Mushfiqur had maintained his distance from the media, and more so now. It is natural for him to feel hard done by, although he has had to answer public questions about the India match just the once, and none about the tweets. But Bangladesh cricketers have often mistaken social media reaction with that of the mainstream media’s.Recent poor form, off-field distraction and trouble with the media has made life quite complicated for a man who was, for a long time, regarded as a straightforward person who wasn’t afraid of consequences, whether it was about a faltering teammate, a disorganized league or the ICC. Mushfiqur remains the only international captain to speak against the Big Three for proposing the two-tier Test system in January 2014. With the BCB eventually siding with the powerful, his message wouldn’t have gone down well with his bosses.When Mohammad Ashraful was suspended by the BCB in mid-2013 after admitting involvement with match-fixing in the 2013 BPL, Mushfiqur blasted him, calling it a “betrayal of the nation”. He was the first Bangladeshi player to talk about non-payments in the first edition of the BPL. He nearly lost his captaincy as the board wasn’t happy with his comments.If things aren’t up to his standards, he will speak out. He can be emotional too, and has quit the captaincy at least three times in the last three years. He first did so minutes after Bangladesh had lost an ODI series against Zimbabwe in 2013, only to be coaxed back a few weeks later. He also gave away the role during the 2015 BPL and in this year’s Dhaka Premier League. Mushfiqur has every right to take such decisions, but misinterpretation becomes a natural reaction when he doesn’t send the message across to the public domain.Even then, it is his choice whether he wants to talk to the media or not. But he should also understand that when there are so many questions about his decisions and actions, some level of culpability falls on him. It clears perceptions and gives him a more objective outlook. When he looked angry at the Big Three’s proposal two years ago, journalists asked him how he felt about Bangladesh being threatened with the loss of their Test status. His reply was objective, and he didn’t hold back.There’s no doubt that he is the same Mushfiqur but the indignation that began after losing his ODI and T20 captaincy in 2014 was thought to have disappeared through his run-making in 2015. But another spate of incidents, and his distance from the public, culminated in him becoming a batsman seeking runs desperately. Only Mushfiqur himself would know how to get out of this rut – whether that is through a lot more batting in the nets, by creating more distance between himself and the media, or by changing tack completely and starting afresh.