Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim was elated after ending his century drought after 15 innings as the veteran cricketer’s batting efforts helped the Tigers beat Sri Lanka in the second ODI on Tuesday (May 25) in Dhaka.
The Tigers registered a 103-run win by DLS method in the rain-interrupted second ODI on Tuesday against Sri Lanka at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka to take a 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series with the final scheduled on May 28 at the same venue.
Rahim’s eighth ODI century has not only helped Bangladesh to win its first ODI series over Sri Lanka but also took the side to the top in the ICC World Cup Super League standings on Tuesday.
However, the right-hander was in brilliant form with the bat, hitting an unbeaten 98 in Colombo after the World Cup 2019 and 84 against Sri Lanka again in the opening ODI, but couldn’t reach the three-figures since the last ODI century against Australia in the 2019 World Cup.
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On Tuesday, the 34-year-old finally managed to covert his great start into the three-figures and even surpassed his previous highest score after being dismissed for 125 in the second ODI against Sri Lanka.
After the game, the wicketkeeper-batsman said the reverse sweep is his favorite shot and one of his favorite scoring options, and he would continue to play it whenever he gets the opportunity.
Mushfiqur said, “Reverse sweep is my favorite shot and my go-to shot, and had there been a chance I would have played it. If in the third ODI, there are opportunities to play it, I will do it even 4-5 times. I am happy with the innings, but there is an area for improvement for me because there were 11 balls left and in close games, these things matter. I am used to playing against the new ball and prepare myself accordingly because you can lose quick wickets early.”
Well, Tamim Iqbal (13) and Shakib Al Hasan(0) had a bad day on Tuesday in the second ODI against Sri Lanka, and Rahim said Liton Das (25 runs) and Afif Hossain (10 runs) should have grabbed the opportunity, as he felt the side must have the support of the youngsters to make things easier.
The keeper further pointed out, “I think Tamim and Shakib score regularly and as they had a bad day, players like Liton, Afif, and Mossadek should have grabbed the opportunity.”
He signed off by saying, “If there are seven to eight performers it becomes easy. They should be more selective with their shot selection and must know when to play the low-risk shots and when to play high-risk shots. I think they (juniors) need to contribute or else it becomes difficult for us.”
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)
