Traditional powerhouse Mohammedan Sporting Club will bank on the experience and enthusiasm of batsman Mushfiqur Rahim to bring back their glory days in the upcoming Dhaka Premier League cricket. Mushfiq joined the club for the first time in his career and promised to make it memorable through giving their fans some occasion to cherish. ‘Naturally it is exciting to be part of such a big club,’ Mushfiq told New Age on Friday. ‘It is a great honour to represent them and I hope to give them back something in return,’ he said.
‘I hope to gain back my form in the coming days,’ said Mushfiq, who is aware of the reaction of MSC fans in case of failure.
‘Whether I play it for CCS or Mohammedan, the pressure is always there.
‘Teams have some kind of expectation when they pick a player. Unless, I can fulfill the expectations it always remains kind of a pressure as far as I am concerned,’ he said.
Mushfiq will team up with Naeem Islam, Ezaz Ahmed and Nazmul Hossain Milon, Ariful Haque and Saykat Ali in Mohammedan’s batting line up. The right-hander, who is expected to lead the team, felt they need quality top-order batsmen in foreign quota.
Club officials said they already contacted former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara, but he turned down their offer.
‘We are trying to get a foreigner at up in the order,’ said Mushfiq. ‘Apart from that we do have a good squad with the presence of some experienced cricketers along with some young players,’ he said.
The league will be equally crucial for Mohammedan’s new batting coach Aftab Ahmed, who played for Brothers Union last season but decided to quit cricket all together to concentrate on his coaching career.
Aftab was known to be an introvert during his playing career but showcased a different side of his personality on the first day at the practice session where he declared to help the players through his experience.
‘It was surprising to see him trying to communicate with us the way he did,’ Enamul Haque Jr said regarding his former U-19 team-mate.
‘He was a very introvert kind of a guy but he tried hard to make the necessary adjustment,’ said Enamul.
Aftab, who runs a cricket academy at Chittagong, also believes that he needs to be expressive if he wants to succeed in taking coaching as a career.
‘It’s true that I am not very vocal kind of a guy. Now I need to change it because unless you can express yourself you are unlikely to be a successful coach,’ said Aftab.
According to Naeem Islam, who worked with him extensively at the nets, he had the required knowledge to share that can help cricketers in the long run.
‘He was quite helpful and the way he analysed everything was quite a good lesson for me,’ he said.
-With New Age input
