Bangladesh ODI’s skipper Tamim Iqbal said on Thursday that they have decided to demote Mushfiqur Rahim at number six largely due to the fact there are times when they finish well and Mushfiqur have the ability to do the job. 

Mushfiqur made quick fire 44 in the opening game while proved his worth by scoring fastest hundred for his country in the second game that got abandoned eventually.

“The coach and I decided to bat him at No 6 from the last series. Nothing against his batting at No 4 where he has an exceptional record, but we don’t finish well. So his experience and amount of shots was the reasons. He is someone who is very aggressive when there are less overs remaining in the innings. It clicked for us. He batted unbelievably well. If he can carry on like this, that’s the best possible thing for us,” he said

“Batting at No 6 is very tricky. We will not get a good start always. He might have to come to bat at 100 for four. Whether its Riyad bhai, Afif or Mushy, I have a soft corner for the batters at No 6 and 7. It is one of the most difficult positions to bat on, apart from opening the innings,” he added.

Tamim said that picking Mehedy Hasan, ahead of Yasir Ali is a big step moving forward as it helps to operate better as a bowling unit. 

Mehedy was not fit in the opening two games after injuring his eyes while playing football but the moment he was available Tamim and Hathurusingha decided that they should go with him at the expense of having Yasir Ali so that they can have more option as a bowling unit.

 “We had this thought process from the first game. If Miraz wasn’t injured ahead of the first game, we would have picked this eleven. We have faith in Miraz’s batting ability. He showed it. If we can trust him and Miraz can deliver, it becomes easier to operate with six bowlers,” said Tamim.

“Sometimes five bowlers and part-timers make it difficult on good wickets. Anything can happen. When we knew that it would be a sporting wicket, we decided to go with six bowlers. We might do this in overseas conditions, depending on the opponent and conditions,” he said