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EXPECTATIONS DOWN UNDER

'Play with all your might'

Sports Reporter
It’s fair to say that Mohammad Rafique has been on the quieter side ever since his retirement from the game. His interactions with the media have been limited. The last time he became the talk of town was when he was alleged by the ICC to have been involved in match fixing during the Bangladesh Premier League. However, a lot unfolded since then and Rafique has been acquitted of all charges.
The slow left-armer now spends his days attending ceremonies of various regional cricketing programmes and narrating inspiring stories from the 2007 World Cup, a competition which, he reckoned, fielded the best ever Bangladeshi side in the mega event.
“1 can proudly say that I played in a Bangladesh team that went to the second round of the World Cup.
"Come to think of it, it's not a small deal. Nobody expected us to beat India. But there was no doubt that each and everyone was hungry for a win. We just had plenty of fun back then," recalled Rafique, while speaking to The Daily Star yesterday.
The former spinner feels that the current group of players have the ability to repeat the success which Rafique and his teammates experienced eight years ago, provided that they don't 'make a big deal' out of the competition.
"The faster a player gets set in Australia and New Zealand, the better it will be for him. Yes the World Cup is a big event, but you need to think of it as just another competition and take it one match at a time.
"Personally I think winning the first match will do them a lot of good. When we beat India in 2007, the entire team was up on their heels. Every member of the squad was confident. We told ourselves that there were no limits to what we could achieve," said Rafique.
The bowler however, admitted that the task in Australia and New Zealand will be a tad more difficult because of the conditions.
"In the sub-continent there is turn, the pitch is slow, so even a short of a length delivery can turn out to be a good delivery. But over there, batsmen wait for such deliveries and punish them at will. There won't be any room for mistakes for the bowlers.
"The bounce is another concern. Batsmen need to practice playing side shots because I don't think playing straight on such bouncy tracks will be helpful," opined Rafique.
After animatedly describing the problems, Rafique stopped after a few minutes and let out a smile. Perhaps analysing the team made him recall his days as a national player, when people barely gave the Tigers a chance.
"Whatever I say right now won't make a difference. I am just a spectator. It's up to them. They need to play with all their might. I was a part of history in 2007 and now it's their turn to prove themselves," the 44-year-old concluded.