Nineteen years at the highest level. Eighty-nine Test matches. Mushfiqur Rahim has seen it all, but there was some unfinished business. Like scoring a century against Pakistan. His preparations leading up to the Rawalpindi Test showed it meant something big to him.
He played for Bangladesh A for the first time in 16 years just to prepare for the Test series. He was always the last to leave practice sessions leading up to the Tests. And then, fully prepared, with eyes on the ball, Mushfiqur got going like classic Mushfiqur. Every shot meant something; even when he left the ball, it was an attempt to wear down the bowler. He went on for eight hours and 42 minutes and constructed a modern Bangladeshi epic.
His 191 in Rawalpindi took him past Tamim Iqbal's records for most runs and centuries in overseas Tests for Bangladesh. It was also Mushfiqur's first overseas ton in seven years. Test batting in overseas conditions is an elevated challenge for Bangladeshi batters. They don't play a lot abroad. Of late, run-making has been difficult in their home conditions too, so they tend not to build up much confidence before going on tours. It was all on the seniors to do something big, and Mushfiqur stepped up to the challenge.
Mominul Haque , who scored a fifty on the third day, felt that Mushfiqur's experience allowed him to assess circumstances faster than the rest.
"Mushfiq bhai is a very dedicated individual," Mominul said after day three. "Whatever I will say about him will not be enough. He plays very differently than the rest of us. He bats every ball with a lot of care. It shows his vast experience. Watching him bat is a lesson in how he manages the innings with the rest of us."
As pleasing as Mushfiqur's milestones were the partnerships Bangladesh strung together in this Test, having come into the game after struggling with the bat over the last 12 months.
When Mushfiqur walked in to bat on the second morning, Bangladesh's 147 for 3 was a reminder of their problems of the last 12 months: a good start followed by a cluster of wickets. Mushfiqur had missed Bangladesh's last Test series against Sri Lanka, in which they only crossed 200 just once.
Mominul believes Mushfiqur's arrival at the crease impacted the way Shadman Islam went about his innings. Shadman was batting on 57 off 132 when Mushfiqur walked in. He soon moved up the gears, and scored 36 off his last 51 balls at the crease. He had reached a point in his innings where he felt comfortable unfurling his drives and cuts, and Mushfiqur's solidity at the other end must have helped free him up.
"When I got out, (Mushfiqur) immediately assessed the situation to make sure there wasn't much trouble from that point," Mominul said. "He must have said something to Shadman because he started to accelerate shortly after Mushfiq arrived at the crease. He played an important role."
Shadman fell for 93, after adding 52 for the fourth wicket with Mushfiqur. It was a critical innings for the left-hander, who is looking to cement his place after coming back into the side as a replacement for the injured Mahmudul Hasan Joy.
Bangladesh then lost Shadman and Shakib Al Hasan in quick succession either side of the tea break. Pakistan may have thought the game was in their hands after Shakib's wicket, particularly since the batter to follow, Litton Das, had not had a great few months. Litton had only scored one fifty in his last 29 international innings across formats, and had even been dropped once from the ODI side.
Now, however, he strode out and played with purpose, initially looking to rotate strike before opening up against Naseem Shah late on the third evening. He took 18 runs off one over, including a pulled six that deposited the ball outside the stadium. Mushfiqur and Litton added 114 for the sixth wicket.
When Litton was out on the fourth morning, Bangladesh were still 116 runs behind Pakistan. The home side may have sensed an opening, but Bangladesh had, at No. 8, a cricketer who has come a long way since his early bits-and-pieces days.
Mehidy can now walk into the ODI side as a batter and has gained enough exposure in Tests to be considered an allrounder. Bangladesh see him as more than just their last line of defence at No. 8, and he was just the right kind of batter at the other end for Mushfiqur. They piled on the misery for the Pakistan bowlers, adding 196 runs, a Bangladesh record for the seventh wicket.
At the end of day four, Mehidy gave an insight into Mushfiqur's calming effect on his partners.
"I was quite nervous about the wicket when I reached the crease," he said. "Mushfiq bhai really helped me. He gave me a briefing about the wicket, telling me to make sure I play out a few deliveries. I will get used to the pace. I liked the wicket. I started to rotate the strike. I think I played 160-170 balls, but it was only possible because I was batting with Mushfiq bhai . We were also the last recognised pair. We only had bowlers left. My target was to bat as long as Mushfiq bhai was at the crease."
It's a rarity for Bangladesh to out-bat the opposition away from home in this manner. Pakistan may be tearing their hair out looking at how little this Rawalpindi pitch has responded to their efforts , but the Bangladesh batters have played a significant role in amplifying their struggle. For Bangladesh, this performance couldn't have come at a better time.
How unsurprising it was, though, that it was Mushfiqur who led this batting resurgence, setting an example of how to build partnerships. Along the way, he may have laid out a blueprint for Bangladesh's future successes.
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