Bangladesh need to look after Mushfiqur`s fitness

One aspect of Mushfiqur Rahim`s batting that stood out during his 127 in Hyderabad was his judgement outside the off stump. He is one of the few Bangladesh batsmen, among current and former players, who is not tempted by deliveries on fourth stump and can accurately leave the ball. Muscle memory, from hours of honing skills, and a phlegmatic temperament give him an edge over other batsmen in the line-up.

The period leading to this innings was a tough one for the Bangladesh captain. His leadership wasn`t up to the mark as India`s batsmen, led by Virat Kohli, put on a massive first-innings score of 687. His wicket-keeping also drew criticism. Not long into the third morning, Mushfiqur strode out with his team in trouble. That he could lengthen his stay in the middle is down to the fact that he is as fit as any top wicketkeeper-batsman.

Mushfiqur`s fastidious nature means that he does his homework well and doesn`t leave anything to chance. He picks the bowlers to attack well and, over two centuries in consecutive Tests in Wellington and Hyderabad played in vastly different conditions, he has shown that his technique is adaptable to the situation he faces.

In his previous Test in Wellington, where he scored 159, it was easier to leave deliveries because the bounce was truer. So he rode it well and got plenty of runs punching the ball on the off side and timing the ball well while leaning into drives. He picked the right time to lay into the New Zealand bowling and in the second innings, before he was struck by a Neil Wagner bouncer, he looked in most control for Bangladesh on the juicy surface.

In Hyderabad, he was cautious against Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma but attacked the spin duo of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja more confidently. Against Umesh Yadav, who posed a threat on the third day, he was mostly calm and made sure the rampant fast bowler was nullified in later spells.

Mushfiqur also had to forge partnerships with the lower order in Hyderabad and found an able ally in Mehedi Hasan, who scored his maiden international fifty. Once Mehedi fell on the fourth morning, however, Mushfiqur had to farm the strike. While Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed and Kamrul Islam Rabbi were willing to stick around, Mushfiqur had to protect them and tackle the bowling. India bowled well to him, never letting him cut loose like he did against New Zealand last month.

Looking at his figures, it is easy to understand why he is rated so highly as a batsman: four of his five hundreds have come abroad. Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Ashraful have three each. In his current role as captain and wicketkeeper-batsman, he is the only player to have scored four hundreds abroad. Andy Flower, Adam Gilchrist, Percy Sherwell and Tatenda Taibu have made one century each away from home in the same roles.

But it is hard to see him bat above No. 6, because he keeps wicket. In Hyderabad, for instance, within minutes of becoming the last Bangladesh wicket to fall, Mushfiqur walked out with his keeping pads on and for the next two hours, his job was to be the focal point of a fielding unit.

He has been doing this kind of quick turnaround for a long time but, as his career gets into the stage that is usually considered the peak of a batsman, and the frequency of his big scores rises, it will be necessary for the team to look after his long-term fitness.

If the management have plans to give Mushfiqur the best preparation to bat, in other words more time to relax between innings, they have to select a specialist wicketkeeper. This will be a difficult call between Nurul Hasan and Liton Das. Currently, Liton seems to be ahead, although the selectors did think two months ago that Nurul could fit in the role.

If, for example, Liton is included, it could give Mushfiqur more flexibility to bat from No. 4 to 6. Apart from his wicketkeeping, another factor in Mushfiqur batting at No. 6 is the thought that young players like Sabbir Rahman and Mehedi, who bat below him, need protection. But since they are good enough to be playing Tests, they will not necessarily need a senior batsman with them all the time.

So imagine, in a parallel universe, that Mushfiqur, having batted for most of the third afternoon and fourth morning to get to his fifth Test century, has the luxury to stroll around when taking charge of the field in India`s second innings.

He would still be in the in-field but would be able to sneak in some stretches to get his limbs moving, take a sip of water, or even take an over or two off and sit in the dressing room, giving him enough time to recover from his first batting stint and freshen up for another long day, this time to save the game.

Source: ESPNcricinfo