Until recently wicketkeeper Mushiqur Rahim was one of the very few players in the Bangladesh national cricket team who had little to worry about his place.
A sublime show with the bat in the post-World Cup one-day series against Australia, where he made 44 not out and an unbeaten 81 in the first two games, only made him more confident.
But Dhiman Ghosh’s return to form after two years in wilderness and some promising performance by GP-BCB Academy wicketkeeper Anamul Haque gave the new selectors ample food for thought now.
Dhiman had displaced Mushfique from the one-day side in 2008 and just when it looked like he was going to cement his place in the national team, the lanky glovesman from Dinajpur lost his way.
A decision to join the renegade Indian Cricket League put Dhiman’s career in total disarray as the Bangladesh Cricket Board banned him for 10 years along with 13 other players.
The board lifted the ban after they all scrapped their ICL deals, but unlike few others Dhiman could never make up for the lost ground until the recent National Cricket League.
His 593 runs with three centuries helped him win a call-up into the 32-member squad for the ongoing fitness camp, putting Mushfique under some kind of pressure for the first time in many years.
While Dhiman was always regarded as a better wicketkeeper, as was evident in Rajshahi’s decision to give him the gloves ahead of Mushfique at the NCL final, he only needed some runs to speak for him.
Mushfique is feeling the heat also from Anamul, the man of the match in the NCL final with 49 and 118 runs. If his batting performance does not show enough of his potential, Anamul also proved his credentials as a wicketkeeper, taking five catches in the first innings of the NCL final.
His man of the match performance in NCL final came only days after he scored a massive century (169 runs) for the GP-BCB Academy to help them win a game by an innings against their South African counterparts.
Mushfique also can take notice of Sahagir Hossain, his understudy in the national team for the last two years, who is also in the 32-member squad.
Top-order batsman Jahirul Islam is also waiting for his opportunity to make a comeback and if needed he will never hesitate to stand behind the stumps.
Mushfique is, however, aware of the challenges.
‘They [Dhiman, Anamul, Sahagir and Jahirul] are all very good and I am aware that they will try to upstage me,’ Mushfique told reporters on Monday.
‘I know I have to do better and better all the time,’ he said.
‘My target is obviously to play as long as possible and I will do that proving my worth.
‘My first competition is with myself. As long as I am giving my hundred percent I am happy,’ Mushfique said.
Courtesy of New Age
