Heading into the Zimbabwe series, Mushfiqur Rahim found himself under the spotlight due to his struggles with runs in the longer format. After the ICC Champions Trophy debacle, Mushfiq made the decision to retire from ODI international cricket to concentrate solely on Test cricket, a format he had been making a comeback in since last September. He had already retired from T20 internationals back in 2022.

For Mushfiq, this Zimbabwe series was significant as it marked his entry into a rare group of players who only play Test cricket for the country. However, in his two outings at Sylhet, Mushfiq failed to make a substantial contribution, getting out after scoring just four runs on both occasions. This marks his fourth consecutive single-digit score in Tests, and he hasn’t passed fifty in his last 12 innings.
As expected, Mushfiq’s place in the side has come under public scrutiny. This atmosphere was evident in the press conference room at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday when Mominul Haq, another one-format player, faced the media after the day’s play.
Mominul, however, came to the defense of Bangladesh’s most successful Test batter. “I am not worried for him,” he said firmly. “He has been playing international cricket for a long time and he knows how to make a comeback. He knows how to score. No one should forget what he has done for Bangladesh and how important his runs have been. He plays marathon innings. His achievements won’t be forgotten soon,” he added.
Drawing from his own experience, Mominul believes that Mushfiq will perform better now that he is focusing on just one format. “Moreover, I think he can play Test cricket better than before now that he’s retired from the other two formats. When he plays one format, he will be focused in one direction,” he said.
Mominul also took some personal responsibility for his own performance, having been dismissed after getting set twice (56, 47) in the Sylhet Test. He highlighted the lack of preparation time, saying, “I don’t say the preparation of five days was ideal, but Alhamdulillah. As you said, when I play Tests, I don’t think about making a hundred. Rather, I think about how to bat for four to five sessions. But I was able to bat for only one session. As a senior cricketer, this was not expected. If I’d batted for three to four sessions, the team could have been in a much better position.”
Despite the failures of two senior batters, Bangladesh managed to secure a strong position in the Sylhet Test, leading by 112 runs with six wickets in hand. Mominul is hoping to set Zimbabwe a target of around 300 runs in the fourth innings, with two more days of play left.
“It’ll be very good if we can set a target of 300. 270-280 isn’t bad either. But we will be in a strong position if the target is around 300,” he said. “We’re confident because Shanto and Jaker are still at the crease, and then the tailenders like Taijul and Hasan can also bat,” he added.
“Obviously, [the game is still in the balance]. That’s why the two batters who are batting, and then there’s Miraz, everyone will have to bat accordingly. There will be time tomorrow morning when batting will be tough. In those crunch moments, we will have to bat carefully. We will have to bat long. The partnership between me and Shanto took us a bit further. If there’s another fifty-run partnership and that can be converted into 150-odd runs, then our desired target will be possible,” he concluded.