The sun finally shines on Mushfiq

Jamie Siddons, Bangladesh’s batting coach, had called it in advance. The Australian told the press ahead of the Chattogram Test that he expects Mushfiqur Rahim to score the century he is long overdue against Sri Lanka at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. He made a similar prediction about skipper Mominul Haque, which didn’t come true, but his prediction about Mushfiq was spot on.

On Wednesday, the wicketkeeper-batsman scored his first Test century in over two years. His previous Test century was against Zimbabwe at home and it came in February of 2020, a month before Bangladesh reported its first Covid-19 case.

His knock against Sri Lanka didn’t just end the long wait for his eighth Test ton but it also immortalised him as the first Bangladeshi to accumulate 5000 runs in cricket’s most regal format.

The fact that Mushfiq is the national team’s most hardworking cricketer is known to all. There are no questions marks about his work ethic and commitment. But still, in the eyes of many Bangladesh cricket fans, he remains a pariah of sorts, a person who doesn’t get the credit he deserves but is the first to get blamed when things go wrong.

Mushfiq has played key roles in many of Bangladesh’s historic wins but his efforts often get overshadowed. Bangladesh’s win against England in the 2015 ICC World Cup is one such example.

Everyone remembers that match for Mahmudullah’s brilliant century and for Rubel Hossain’s fiery spell that helped Bangladesh punch their ticket to the knockout stage of the World Cup for the very first time. But a quick at the match’s scorecard shows that it was actually Mushfiq’s brilliant 89 off 77 balls that took Bangladesh to a defendable total. But that innings mostly goes unnoticed.

Fans, former cricketers and analysts alike praise Mashrafe Bin Mortaza for leading Bangladesh in consecutive ODI series wins over Pakistan, India and South Africa. He is widely hailed as Bangladesh’s most successful captain. But Mushfiq doesn’t get an iota of the praise Mashrafe gets for his captaincy in spite of leading Bangladesh to three of its biggest landmark victories.

Under Mushfiq’s captaincy, the Tigers achieved their maiden Test wins over Sri Lanka, England and Australia. Credit for those victories went to individual players while everyone seemingly turned a blind eye to the person who led the team.

Like any cricketer who has played at the international level for over a decade, Mushfiq has slipped up at times. Mushfiq’s slip-ups have been very public and have earned him criticism from all corners.

Celebrating prematurely against India in the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup before callously losing his wicket and the ‘Naagin dance’ celebration against Sri Lanka that turned the whole island nation against the Tigers are two of the biggest on-field incidents that have tainted his image across the cricketing world.

The fact that Mushfiq learnt from his mistake in 2016 and guided Bangladesh to a T20 victory against India in Delhi in 2019 and the brilliant innings he played before the ‘Naagin dance’ celebration that helped Bangladesh complete its biggest ever chase in T20s goes unnoticed.

These incidents have overshadowed what a phenomenal player he has been for the Tigers. He began playing at the highest level as a teenager, took time to settle down before becoming the most consistent batsman of the team for over a decade.

Luck hasn’t always been kind to Mushfiq on the field. But in the Chattogram Test, it was as if the universe conspired to make sure Mushfiq becomes the first Bangladeshi to enter the 5,000 Test runs club.

Tamim Iqbal was batting brilliantly on Day 3, playing shots all across the ground and was well on his way to complete 5,000 Test runs. But after playing wonderfully for 133, the left-hander had to leave the field without being dismissed.

After spending nearly three days on the field under the scorching sun, first fielding and then opening the Bangladesh innings, Tamim was suffering from dehydration. He began cramping profusely and despite being just 19 runs away from the milestone, had to retire hurt.

This opened the door for Mushfiq. But the 35-year-old was far from his best. He was going through a lean patch before the Chattogram Test and the usual fluency in his game was missing. But Mushfiq, in his typical manner, grinded out at the middle and didn’t give in to the temptation of going for big strokes.

Mushfiq hit only four boundaries in his innings while at the other end Liton Das hit 10. He played patiently and reached the milestone in the morning session. His teammates, coaches and even his closest ‘competitor’ Tamim applauded from the dressing room.

But Mushfiq wasn’t done yet. He kept batting the same way, didn’t get fazed when Bangladesh lost a few quick wickets and completed his eighth Test century.

His celebration after completing the century showed the relief he was feeling. The burden of not playing a big innings was off his shoulder. Luck, just like the sun in Chattogram, was shining on him brightly for a pleasant change.