Mushfiqur Rahim To Give Up Wicket-Keeping Duties In T20Is For Bangladesh

Senior Bangladesh player Mushfiqur Rahim won’t be keeping the wickets for the team in T20I format anymore, head coach Russell Domingo confirmed.

Rahim, who has been playing with the national team since 2005, is not keeping the wickets in the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand at home.

Ahead of the series, the Bangladesh team management had divided the wicket-keeping duties between Khulna-born Nurul Hasan and Rahim as it was decided that Hasan would keep in the first two games and the veteran player would continue the duties in the third and fourth matches.

I don’t think Mushfiqur Rahim’s desire to keep in this format is great anymore: Russell Domingo

But on Sunday, Hasan was seen keeping the duties which came as a shock to everyone and according to Domingo, Rahim doesn’t want to don the gloves for the national team in the shortest format anymore and the team will move on in that aspect.

“There has been a change (in plans). Initially after speaking to Mushy (Mushfiqur Rahim), he was going to keep after the second game. But he told me he probably doesn’t want to keep wickets in T20s anymore, so we have to move on,” Domingo was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

“I don’t think Mushfiqur’s desire to keep in this format is great anymore. We have to focus on [Nurul Hasan] Sohan, and let him do those duties going into the competition,” he added.

Mushfiqur Rahim kept in 80 T20I matches for Bangladesh

Rahim kept wickets for Bangladesh in 80 T2o International matches and was involved in 61 dismissals- 32 catches and 29 stumpings. Apart from Rahim, Bangladesh has Hasan and Loton Das as the other options who can keep wickets.

Rahim has scored 1318 runs from 89 T20I innings at the strike rate of 116.33 and remains as one of the core members of the Bangladesh cricket team.

Bangladesh lost the third T20I by 52 runs after dominating in the first two games. Last month the Tigers thumped Australia 4-1 in the T2oI series to win the first bilateral series between the two teams.

Bangladesh will play the fourth T20I against New Zealand at Shere Bangla National Stadium on September 8.

Also Read: “Mustafizur Rahman Is Not Interested To Take Part In Tests At The Moment”: BCB Cricket Operations Chairman