Its a team game, Ashraful on not giving Mushfiqur Rahim a chance to score a century

Recently, Bangladesh’s batting performance had become a cause for concern. Batters had been consistently failing across all formats. Then, for the Ireland series, Mohammad Ashraful joined as Bangladesh’s batting coach. The Bangladeshi batters performed exceptionally in both Tests against Ireland, scoring several centuries and big runs from the top order during the series.

At the end of the fourth day, Bangladesh’s batting coach Mohammad Ashraful attended a press conference. There, he spoke positively about the batters. “Everyone got out after playing good shots. When they get out after playing well, there’s nothing much to say. From being with the team, I’ve realized that everyone is trying their best.”

Meanwhile, Taijul Islam has surpassed Shakib Al Hasan, becoming Bangladesh’s highest wicket-taker in Tests. On this, Ashraful said, “Congratulations to Taijul, he has 249 wickets now. There will be competition with Taijul and Miraz; both are playing dominantly. Hasan Murad made his debut and has bowled well domestically.”

Responding to the question of why Mushfiqur Rahim wasn’t given time to complete a century in the second innings, the batting coach said, “It’s a team game; nobody considered the individual aspect (Mushfiq’s century). You could have played for another hour if you wanted, but it wouldn’t have felt right. We gave Muminul the opportunity since he was close to a century.”

He added, “Mushfiq made his debut during my time, and I gave Muminul his Test cap. Alhamdulillah, everyone welcomed me warmly, and I’m also trying to adapt and connect with them more.”

Praising the Mirpur pitch, Ashraful said, “Seeing this pitch reminded me of the 2008 pitch. Batters can play shots here. This is a really excellent pitch.”