Mushfiqur Rahim - a leader without captain’s armband

In the Bangladesh dressing room, Mushfiqur Rahim is looked up to as a symbol of discipline. A man who guides his teammates through his experience.

Bangladesh will be keenly looking forward to him filling that role again as they prepare to take on Australia in the second game of the ongoing two-match series, scheduled at Mackay from August 22.

“I don't know what will happen when Mushfiqur bhai will not be around,” a senior member of the current Test squad told Cricbuzz when his attention was drawn regarding the impact of the right-handed wicketkeeper batter in the dressing room ahead of the Australia tour.

“You need someone like him as he gives us that mental strength,” he added.

Rahim, who fought his own battle to complete 21 years in Test cricket and, in the process, became one of the few cricketers of his generation to play a Test series against Australia in their own backyard, is regarded as one of the most technically sound batters in the country. His batsmanship aside, what Bangladesh need him for, more than anything else, is as a guide when things are not going their way.

Rahim scored just 36 in Bangladesh’s historic win in Darwin, but stitched important 66 runs with skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto after centurion Tanzid Hasan Tamim’s dismissal. What set him apart though was his effort to guide Shanto at the other end, who was approaching three figures, even as the left-hander eventually fell for 84. It wasn’t the first time Rahim was found guiding his team either with the bat or on the field, with the veteran a pillar of strength for his teammates whenever the chips are down.

Gone are the days when Rahim appeared an emotionally driven person whose mood swung in the dressing room based on his performance with the bat. According to his former national teammates, he could be a little difficult to deal with when things didn't go his way with the bat.

But times have changed and so has Rahim, who is now more apt at handling personal disappointment and furthermore looks to share his learnings with his teammates. Rahim is Bangladesh’s all-time leading run-scorer in Tests and is also their most capped player in the format, having debuted against England at Lord’s in May 2005.

Rahim, who has retired from white-ball international cricket, urged to his teammates to follow the Mount Maunganui template - Bangladesh won a historic Test there against New Zealand in 2022 - instead of thinking too far ahead.

“The last biggest win that we had in Mount Maunganui, if I am not wrong, we had just one target: to win one session (at a time),” Rahim told his teammates in the dressing room following their historic win in the first Test against Australia.

“We treated it as a one-day game, and we had to win that day, three sessions out of three, at least two sessions. So, we can break it down like that,” he said ahead of the second Test.

In a video uploaded by Bangladesh Cricket Board on Facebook, Rahim urged his teammates to just follow the processes instead of thinking about the outcome or the big names in the opposition camp.

“Every time we go there, we compete. It doesn't matter the condition, it doesn't matter what pitch. They [the opponents] are also human beings. So, just remember that if you stick to your process, and have faith in the Almighty, the result will take care of itself,” he said.

“There's improvement - sky is only the limit. You can enjoy (the win in Darwin) but the next thing is how can we repeat this again? The only formula is one: day in, day out,” he said, adding that he witnessed a huge cultural change in the dressing room that has led to better results.

“What I can take from this group, especially the red-ball group, are some great memories. So, I am really proud. And the biggest change that I have seen from the last four, five years is that individually, you all want to improve yourself which is very, very important,” the veteran said.

“As an individual, you improve 2 per cent of your game and when you click together as a whole unit, it will impact on these kinds of results. And that's what makes me so, so happy. Because I was there 15, 20 years ago. There were certain individuals who believed only themselves, not a whole group. But now I can feel eight or nine match-winners out of 15 or 16 in this group,” he said.

“The feeling of seeing someone do really well and being able to share that feeling, and when someone doesn’t do well, telling him, ‘Inshallah, the next day will be yours,’ that’s the kind of culture you want to build. It doesn't matter how much you achieve as an individual but for me, how much you achieve as a team, that means a lot to me,” he added.

When Rahim next takes the field with his faded green Test cap, expectations will be high as he will look to make a statement with the bat. But just as importantly, he will have to guide his teammates along after the highs of Darwin and ensure that they don’t get carried. It is another reminder of the role Rahim has grown into - that of a leader who has seen it all.

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