Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim refused to take the blame alone for opting to field after winning the toss in the second Test match against Pakistan that ended in 328-run defeat at Mirpur on Saturday. The decision backfired as Pakistani batsmen made the host bowlers toil for nearly two days on a track that had nothing much to offer apart from the opening first hour.Pakistan declared on 557-8 in their first innings before dismissing Tigers for 203 runs to gain the upper hand and then declared on 195-6 in the second innings to earn an overall lead of 549 runs to nail all the hopes of the hosts.
Tigers managed to score 63-1 runs at the end of the third day but could hardly come up with any heroics on the fourth day to be bowled out for 221 runs that gave the visitors their only win in the series.
‘It’s not just a single decision of an individual,’ Mushfiq explained his decision on toss after the defeat.
‘Everyone has a say, it’s not mine or coach or anybody’s team. Everyone has an input, and everyone has a say in the team.
‘Whether we will bat or bowl after winning the toss, we had talked to everyone earlier and then decided,’ he said.
Tiger’s decision to bowl first came up under a lot of criticism more so with eight batsmen in the playing XI and with only two pacers as Mohammad Shahid and Shahadat Hossain.
Of them Shahadat bowled only two balls in the entire match before being ruled out by sustaining a knee injury.
However, Mushfiq denied accepting that he got not only his decision after toss incorrect but also fielded a wrong team with just two pacers on the pitch that he deemed would assist the pace bowlers.
‘We didn’t have just two pacers,’ he said. ‘With Soumya [Sarkar] we had three and our plan was with everyone in the team,’ said Mushfiq, referring to a player who was primarily picked up as a batsman and has taken only 19 wickets in his 34 first-class matches.
‘If it’s wrong then maybe that’s because of the outcome, if that was not the case then people would not have talked as much,’ said Mushfiq. ‘This is nothing new, such things always happen and it’s very normal.’
Mushfiq said that the approach by his team-mates was disappointing as that proves they were unable to take up the responsibility included him.
The Tigers had a relatively better start in the second innings yet could add only 158 runs to their overnight score on the fourth day.
Opener Tamim Iqbal, Sakib al Hasan, Mahmudullah and Mushfiq looked to have gifted their wickets instead of their counterpart to earn it.
‘I have a different personal challenge in Test cricket, so I don’t know when was the last time I played so badly in Test matches,’ said Mushfiq, who had a very poor series by his lofty standard.
‘The plan was obviously to play our normal game,’ he said. ‘The ones in the middle though should have thought it was going to be difficult to sweep but went after every delivery on a day four wicket,’ said Mushfiq.
‘If we got a few partnerships at the top, things would have been easier. The game was almost over by lunch,’ he said.
-With New Age input
