Mushfiqur Rahim has been keeping wickets for Bangladesh for 16 years now, but he has told his coach Russell Domingo that this is the right time for him to pass on the responsibilities to a youngster in the shortest format of the game.
Rahim was supposed to share the wicketkeeping duties with Nurul Hasan in the first four T20I matches, but so far, he hasn’t been spotted behind the stumps.
Apparently, Mushi was set to take the wicket keeping job from Nurul Hasan in the 3rd T20I, but he wasn’t seen doing any wicket keeping drills before the match. The 354-year-old hasn’t come out and said anything yet, but his coach’s recent statements have done enough to shed some light on this matter.
Domingo hinted at the possibility o Hasan keeping wickets permanently from now onwards. Nurul made his T20I debut in 2016, but most of his appearances have come during the last few months.
“There has been a change (in plans). Initially after speaking to Mushy, he was going to keep after the second game. But he told me he probably doesn’t want to keep wicket in T20s anymore, so we have to move on.
I don’t think Mushfiqur’s desire to keep in this format is great anymore. We have to focus on [Nurul Hasan] Sohan, and let him do those duties going into the competition.”
Domingo stated.
Despite not being the safest wicket-keeper ever, Rahim has stressed that wicket-keeping helps his batting throughout his career. However, he is in his mid-30s now and has to manage his workload.
Rahim’s thought behind this move is understandable as he may want to focus on his batting during the last stage of his career. Many consider him the country’s best all-format batsman, so it is no surprise that Rahim wants to make sure his batting numbers don’t go down with age.
Hasan has been very disappointing as a batsman so far. In his 20 T20Is, he averages around 15 and usually bats at a low strike-rate. Moreover, his inclusion in the side prevents Bangladesh from operating with an extra all-rounder.
However, they have already made the decision and if it helps Rahim in any shape or form, it will end up being beneficial to the team.
