Mushfiqur Rahim wants to keep giving back to Bangladesh throughout whatever time he plays for the country.
Mushfiqur Rahim: ‘I want to give back for as long as I’m playing for Bangladesh’.
Mushfiqur Rahim believes that having played international cricket for more than 20 years helped him get ready for the hype, pressure, and expectations surrounding his 100th Test match. In their 100th Test, Mushfiqur became the eleventh cricket player to hit a century. His ability to pull the side out of danger on the first morning was very significant.
Mushfiqur had two century stands: 107 for the fourth wicket with Mominul Haque and 108 for the fifth wicket with Litton Das. However, he remained undefeated on 99 overnight on Wednesday, so he had to face a tense evening. Given that he was playing well in Bangladesh’s previous Test series in June, his on-field performance wasn’t all that surprising.
“I can’t believe that someone from Bangladesh has played a hundred Tests, so it’s really a huge achievement,” Mushfiqur said. “It is a proud moment for any player. So obviously I am happy that I could be that person. There’s more responsibility on me. I want to give back for as long as I am playing for Bangladesh, and I want to ensure there are one or two players who can fill my gap when I have left the dressing room.
“I think 100 is a huge number, so I have learned many things while getting there. I have tried to gather experience and learned how to stay calm. To be honest, I really want to thank the BCB for what they planned on the first morning. It really feels great and I really felt honoured. I think this type of recognition can work as an inspiration for cricketers. It is important for them to dream that they want to play 100 Tests.”
Mushfiqur said that he was eyeing up a big hundred in the first innings, an aspect of his career that has become more frequent in the last five years.
“I tried to reach the milestone last evening since these things are not easy. They could have bowled one more over but I understand it is a tactical thing. I think we would have done the same thing if we were the fielding side.
“At the same time, I wanted to score a big hundred, rather than just getting to the mark. I tried to motivate myself that I want to score 60 or 70 more runs, not just the one run. I wanted to bat till Litton got to his century. I couldn’t do it, but Miraz batted well after that,” he said.