Staying calm the key as Mushfiqur braces for maiden BPL final

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Bangladesh wicket keeper batsman Mushfiqur Rahim might feel that the ongoing Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League, the country's premier Twenty20 tournament, is a different experience for him.

The skipper of Khulna Tigers, who is the all-time leading run-getter in BPL history with 2253 runs in 84 matches, has looked totally charged up throughout the tournament where he is now the leading scorer with 470 runs.

But what's more commendable is the way he handled himself throughout the tournament as a leader, and his involvement with the team can be seen through his act in the last game against Rajshahi Royals, where he decided to come back and keep wickets despite being retired hurt after making a 16-ball 21, and it appeared that he was leaving no stone unturned to make sure his side reaches the final.

While the 32-year-old never played the final, he did not have a smooth journey either in the BPL on many occasions, with the most notable one being his open fight with the Barisal Burners after they labeled him to be indisciplined, though it was sorted out later by the interference of the board.

According to many officials, managing Mushfiqur is a difficult task nonetheless considering he is too emotional, and at times it becomes difficult for him to balance his emotions with priorities. But it has hardly looked to be the case in the ongoing BPL as he is maintaining the same kind of passion to achieve his goal, that seemed to be missing otherwise, though he was always scoring runs in the premier T20 tournament of the country.

Khulna Tigers' team director Khaled Mahmud told Cricbuzz that they opted to give him total freedom in the dressing room and believe that helped him to express himself in the BPL.

"I don't think you need to give him too much information. He is mature enough and is an experienced guy. He should be free to take his decisions. If he takes his own decisions, he is happy," said Mahmud

"He is very happy with the team. The sponsor that we have never gets into team selection, there is no pressure and there is no chaos. There is no pressure that 'we have to be champions' and 'we have to do well'. We all believe that we are a good unit and he believes that too, so he has all the confidence when he is marshalling his troops in the middle."

Mahmud further added that Mushfiqur is open for discussion when the playing XI is selected and the team management make sure that they give priority to his suggestions in this regard.

"He likes to discuss and he explains and suggests things regarding the playing XI and we say, 'it is fine, it is your call'," said Mahmud.

"He plays in the field with the team. He should be given the right to choose who he is confident about. I think we give the most priority to his opinions because after all he will lead the team.

"There is no pressure on him and he can take his own decision easily and that is probably also helping him perform with the bat as well," he added.

Mahmud also felt that Mushfiqur is getting these rewards as he has got a wealth of experience as far as analyzing the situation is concerned.

He has scored four fifties in the tournament and can call himself unlucky as he failed to score his maiden Twenty20 hundred twice, despite coming very close on two occasions and falling short by four and two runs respectively against Rajshahi Royals and Comilla Warriors in the league stage,

"He is one of the best batsmen in Bangladesh right now considering the way he improvises and bats like that in this format, after analysing the situation and everything,'' said Mahmud.

"And more importantly, the amount of dedication he has, I think he is getting the reward for it. His commitment to cricket is very high.

All-rounder Robbie Frylinck echoed similar sentiments during one of the post match press conferences, "I was with Mushy [Mushfiqur] last year with the Chittagong Vikings. I know his style and I know what he is about. He is a man with a wealth of knowledge and his tactics are really good."

"He gives so much information in our team meetings in terms of plans and stuff like that and can also be quite calming out on the field as well.

"You never really see Mushy's emotions run high and he keeps everyone grounded. It's just a pleasure to play under him and I really enjoy it."

Whether he manages to lift the trophy is something for the future to decide, but one thing is clear, he performs best both on and off the field when there is no chaos in the dressing room.

source ​https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/111776/staying-calm-the-key-as-mushfiqur-braces-for-maiden-bpl-final