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Mushy should bat higher

Naimul Karim
Midway through lunch yesterday Bangladesh had stumbled from a smooth sail to a nervy 114 for 4. It was then that Mushfiqur Rahim entered the fray. While the pair of Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah Riyad did help the hosts to partially recover with a half-century stand, Riyad was soon sent back to the pavilion, leaving Mushfiqur with the tail yet again.
The innings fizzled out soon after. While he did well to score 64, it was quite evident that he had extra pressure on himself to perform while batting with the unpredictable Shuvagata Hom and an unstable tail.
In addition, he must have been tired from keeping the previous day. The pressure to score runs eventually seemed to have had caught up with him and compelled him to play an unnecessary pull against a bouncer that was travelling way over his head, which got him caught.
This was the fourth time this year that the captain arrived at the crease
Mushy should bat higher
under a pressure-filled situation and was forced to play with a hint of caution to help his side recover. The trend has almost become a feature of sorts for Bangladesh in recent times.
In the last series against the West Indies, he came in at number six in the first innings of the first Test and had to remain content with an unbeaten 48 while the rest fell around him. In the next innings he had to battle with the tail, right till the very end to get to his century. Against Sri Lanka earlier this year, he had to bail Bangladesh out yet again and did so with an 86-run stand with Shakib Al Hasan.
However, once Shakib got out, he faced the same old music. Nasir Hossain's recent drop in form did not help much either.
With the Tigers ailing from a batting disorder, the question that remains to be asked is whether Mushfiqur needs to bat higher up the order. In the five Tests that Bangladesh have played this year, Mushfiqur has averaged 48.28, which tops the Tigers' list. With 338 runs, he is currently the second highest run-getter in the side this year, eight runs short of Mominul Haque. He is
also the highest run-getter in GDIs this year and he bats higher up the order in the 50-over format. A promotion for Mushfiqur would not only give him more time to get settled, but also give him an opportunity to play pressure-free cricket and in turn give the Tigers a better head-start.
But this would probably have to come at a cost. Mushfiqur has never batted above five in Test cricket, primarily due to the exertion caused due to his keeping. His comparatively poor display behind the wickets recently could well stem from the burden he has been carrying with the bat. However, the fact that Bangladesh's top five batsmen have failed to put on more than 200 runs seven out of nine times this year, is a concern that needs to be addressed in whatever way possible.
Ever since 2011, Mushfiqur has clearly stepped up his game as a batsman. His average in Test cricket since 2011 stands at 45.22; prior to that it was 27.15. And with the sort of dedication that Mushfiqur has shown, the graph is only likely to get better. The potential is clearly visible; but at this point in time he seems to be underused.