Mushfiqur confident ahead of Sri Lanka series

Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim believes his team are poised to do well in their upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka.

The captain feels the strong Sri Lanka presence in their backroom staff will help Bangladesh come to terms with the conditions on the island.

Addressing press ahead of the tour Mushfiqur said: “We do have a chance in front of us.

“If we can play our best cricket, the result will be in our favour. They are without some of the players who have been doing well for a long time, as well as their regular captain Angelo Mathews. We also have Sri Lankans in our coaching staff who can provide us with key information.

“We have been able to raise our standard of cricket. It has also contributed to the expectations placed on us. People now believe that if Bangladesh plays well, they can win against any team.”

Mushfiqur lauded the efforts of their batting unit while calling on the bowlers to improve if they are to do well in Sri Lanka.

He added: “Our bowling unit hasn’t improved as much as our batting unit has. They are inexperienced. But they will get better by playing more and more matches. I think our fielders are also to blame for the bowlers not living up to expectations.

“I believe that Mustafizur, Taskin [Ahmed], Rubel [Hossain], Subashis [Roy], [Mehedi Hasan] Miraz and Shakib Al Hasan are all capable in bringing us 20 wickets in a Test match. We are going to Sri Lanka with a strong unit.

“I must say that the opposition will feel the pressure playing against a bowling attack that has Shakib [Al Hasan], Mustafizur [Rahman] and [Mehedi Hasan] Miraz. In addition, we are going to play a third Test series in a row, in a short span of time. This will certainly be an advantage to us.”

Bangladesh are a much improved outfit and are pleased to have been playing more cricket so far in 2017 than the barren spells they had in 2015 and 2016.

The Tigers have a tour to South Africa to look forward to next season but will enjoy the two Test series in Sri Lanka and look to flesh out their schedule in the coming months.