The Mushy problem

[Ishtylish cricketer]

Given the number of chances Mushfiqur Rahim has spilled in the last month or so, his position of playing as a wicketkeeper in the team needs to be reexamined. Although I'm not an expert on the nuances of wicketkeeping and no matter how simple of a statement the following may be, it seems to me that Mushy simply has problem concentrating on the ball and catching it. His foot speed and initial read on the flight, tracking ability when his view is somewhat obstructed also seem poor but due to his batting prowess Bangladesh simply cannot afford to drop him. However, on a team that struggles to get test batsman out, Bangladesh can ill afford to miss the number of simple chances as he did as a wicketkeeper. There are two ways to go about it. Let him develop further by hiring a wicketkeeping expert ie. Ian Healy, Alec Stewart, etc or ask him to relinquish wicketkeeping for the test matches and find a suitable replacement.

What is the best way to handle the Mushy problem? Who should BCB consult or if not who is/are the best option(s) to replace him? I think Shahin is a contender for the job but according to many people on BC forum his batting below international level. All the Bangladesh domestic cricket pundits please unite and let's on BCB's behalf work out a solution for them.

[LateCut]

Originally Posted by Cricinfo
"Short blokes are quite tricky to bowl at," said Swann. "When a chap is knee-high to a grasshopper it's quite hard to get your length right, but he batted really well. It's always nice to have a big guy lunging down the wicket giving you easy bat-pad chances, but I thought Bangladesh batted really well today, in the hour before and the hour after lunch. We'll have our work cut out to bowl them out in the second innings.

That is the funniest compliment I ever heard. As I was watching the game Swan was evidently very frustrated. Too bad he missed the century on account of an excellent piece of fileding. But he is no WK. We need to get real one who grab on to balls and has better reflex.

[Fazal]

As ususal the Board as well coach is few steps behind to make a proper steps.

Based on past history they are just ignoring to make corrective measures with the logic is:

1) There is no alternative solution.
2) He will correct himself somehow.

Forgetting that "alternative options" doesn't grow in trees and suddenly this alternative option will not come from heaven unless a) they plan, b) they even give a try to gauge if there really have any alternative option or not.

And Broad need to help the player to correct himself, whether bring specialized coach, send him specialized training or at-least send a to player that this kind of performance in his primary role is not except able and Board is willing to help he need one. Just doing nothing and hoping for miracle is not going to help.

Rahim's dropping catches has more demoralization effect than merely dropping a catch to our already overwhelmed bowlers who are trying their best to fight against much stronger team. Just look at their faces after each missed opportunity by their sub par WC, that tells the whole story how demoralized it is..... and its going for for few years I guess.... no sign of any improvement.... its just getting a regular affair... just look st Rahim's reaction after each drop... the way he smiles looks like he doesn't even recognized it as a series matter.... that tells other side of the story.

[Fazal]

Plus stupid Rahim spoiled Naeem test debut batting performance.

!st of all he was too slow taking the first run, and then he was committed to 2nd and then changed his mind forcing Naeem to take U-turn and recover, which Naeem failed.

[Aritro]

It's fair to say Mushfiq has made zero improvement as a wicket-keeper since he took Pilot's spot in the team.

I'd like to know what systems are actually in place to develop our keepers, particularly the ones around the national team. We have a tiny coaching staff compared to other teams (this England team, for instance, has just as many support staff as players) and I doubt the support on offer for our national team keepers is too extensive.

However, I do know that wicket-keeping is a vocation at which it's possible to make extreme improvements very quickly. It's nowhere near as nuanced or as complex as batting and bowling and simple repetitive drills that re-inforce relatively fine-tuning in areas like like footwork and positioning can make a huge difference.

I'd point to people like Geraint Jones and Matt Prior as evidence of keepers who progressed from being utterly atrocious to being test standard wicket keepers in a relatively short time after working on a one-to-one basis with good wicket-keeping coaches.

The only thing I can assume from this is that he's just not being put through the right sort of drills, or receiving the right sort of advice from someone with the right knowledge. Surely there's someone in the country who's qualified to be brought in for some temporary one-to-one help?

[bangla-red]

Not only is his wicketkeeping crap, but also his running...

[dolcevita]

Originally Posted by bangla-red
Not only is his wicketkeeping crap, but also his running...

You are right he is still young and often he PANICS thats his real problem he needs to stay calm

Posted via BC Mobile Edition (iPhone)

[Rabz]

The biggest problem with that run out was that they were not taking ANY singles for a while.
Runs were coming only boundaries and they were not running between the wickets.
That lapse of communication cost us what could have been a different picture.

Mushy's batting is all great at the moment, but he seriously needs to improve his keeping though.

[fwullah]

Let Mushfiqur talk to Pilot. Just a chat for about half an hour. Pilot should be the right man to help Mushfiqur out.

[Beamer]

I don't think he has any upside left on his keeping. It is incredibly inconsistent. He will have moments of good/great dismissals, separated by regulation let offs. If he can correct his issues and become a consistent keeper, then obviously we are better for it. But, I do not see any signs of that happening. Logical solution will be to make him a specialist batsman in tests, which he is entirely capable of, and he can be a solid middle order bat. The best wkt-keeper available will take over the full time gloves and bat at no.7 or 8. Mushy will continue as a wkt-keeper batsman for ODI's. That is the only logical solution that I can think of. His work behind the stumps in tests leaves a lot to be desired.

[rashed411]

Originally Posted by Fazal
Plus stupid Rahim spoiled Naeem test debut batting performance.

!st of all he was too slow taking the first run, and then he was committed to 2nd and then changed his mind forcing Naeem to take U-turn and recover, which Naeem failed.

nayeem debuted last year against NZ..

[Dhrubo]

I actually think his keeping went down. I remember the first T20 WC where mushy was excellent except for that one missed catch against sri lanka. However, from then on he just lost concentration and started spilling more catches down. We need to get a wicket keeping coach ASAP.

[WarWolf]

Originally Posted by Dhrubo
I actually think his keeping went down. I remember the first T20 WC where mushy was excellent except for that one missed catch against sri lanka. However, from then on he just lost concentration and started spilling more catches down. We need to get a wicket keeping coach ASAP.

Because his concentration is now divided in a lot other things like managing the field, batting etc.

[bdtiger]

i was reading ittefaq and coach salahuddin mentioned that mushy has technical problems for keeping. I agree with him. we tried mushy for a long time. my view is lets keep mushy as our #3/4 batsman and include a keeper.

[Ananna]

Originally Posted by bangla-red
Not only is his wicketkeeping crap, but also his running...

Ya. Runningwise, he is BD's Inzamam.

[AsifTheManRahman]

He isn't swift enough on his feet and definitely doesn't keep his eyes on the ball till the last minute. As a keeper (especially when standing up to slower bowlers), you need to rise from your crouched position with the ball from the point it hits the deck to the point it reaches you. That's a very basic WK technique - you watch the ball hit the ground and start rising as it takes off. Not sure if anyone else feels the same, but from what I've seen, he is sometimes pretty late in getting up. His keeping against pacers is a bit better than that against spinners and that could be one of the reasons.

[Rabz]

Thats a great observation, Asif.
I hope the management also sees that.

[kazis2007]

keeper needs to be active always but mushy can't concentrate on spin bowling

[chol_bd123]

yup, he misses the simplest of catches sometimes.

[simon]

I think with hard practicing Mushy should be able to improve his keeping.
WK is not as tricky as batting.

[Rommel]

It would be weird seeing Mushy on the field as just a normal fielder.

[al Furqaan]

his keeping against pacers isn't bad at all. its standing up to the stumps where he absolutely sucks. can't catch, can't stump, often can't even stop the ball. you might as well not even have a WK.

this is what i propose:

1) find a WK who is better than rahim, even if not good. but he MUST have some batting ability. even slogging 30 off 20 is acceptable for now, in that case bat him at #9 or use as a night watchman if he can stonewall.

2) have two WKs in the squad. either let mushy keep 50% of time, or have mushy just keep to our pacers since he's decent in that regard. this also reduces the burden off him allowing him to bat up the order.

team management needs to get this right. we are losing BIG with rahim in 2 ways, not just one.

1) the runs he concedes when he lets off batsmen. top batters will cash in, i don't know what the numbers are, but i would imagine mushy costs us an average of at least 50 runs per test innings by not taking simple chances.

2) the runs he costs us by not batting up the order. since he's a WK, he can't bat higher than 6 or 7. if he bats at 4, he would be able to score at least 10-20 runs more per innings than he does now, or at least would have that opportunity. his slogging today was due to the fact that razzak and rubel are walking wickets. otherwise easy 100 was on the cards, possibly 150.

if you add that up, 70 runs minimum are lost from our run differential each test innings. that is not peanuts, but a significant number of runs. its the difference between following on and not following on, the difference between innings defeat and not innings defeat, the difference between a win and loss, or a draw and a loss.

[Imtiazk]

I really don't see what the problem is.

First, pick the best wicket-keeper. I was very impressed with Dhiman in Australia [ as was Ian Chappell ]. But it can be Saghir or anyone else as long as he is the best.

Then, pick the six best batsmen. Mushfiq walks in with Tamim. Mushfiq should be the natural No.3.

This also means less dropped catches off spinners - our spinners have better control - and, of course, the opposition scores far fewer runs.

Answer = select Mushfiq as a batsman only.

He can continue as a WK in ODIs like Sangakarra, Dravid [ as he used to be before Dhoni ].

[Imtiazk]

Originally Posted by Rommel
It would be weird seeing Mushy on the field as just a normal fielder.

I actually saw him fielding at Worcester in 2008 with the Bangladesh "A" team against South Africa. It was an empty ground and you could hear every conversation. He was constantly talking - from mid off !!!

[Imtiazk]

Originally Posted by AsifTheManRahman
He isn't swift enough on his feet and definitely doesn't keep his eyes on the ball till the last minute. As a keeper (especially when standing up to slower bowlers), you need to rise from your crouched position with the ball from the point it hits the deck to the point it reaches you. That's a very basic WK technique - you watch the ball hit the ground and start rising as it takes off. Not sure if anyone else feels the same, but from what I've seen, he is sometimes pretty late in getting up. His keeping against pacers is a bit better than that against spinners and that could be one of the reasons.

A wicket-keeper is judged against slow bowlers, particularly, turners. Keeping to fast bowlers is relatively easy. Diving catches is also his problem as he is vertically challenged ! He doesn't even reach some catches. A good keeper should be able to stand up to medium pacers like Rasel [ or Shahadat these days [sic ]]. I have hardly seen Mushfiq do that.

He is simply not a keeper. We should stop flogging this dead horse. Let him be a world-class batsman !

[Imtiazk]

The run out actually exposed our running technique. The most important thing about turning is that you must face the fielder. Both turned blind. Actually, Naeem noticed first, but by this time, he was more than half way down. I don't think Mushfiq even said "No" at this time.

So, it was essentially the fault of both - Naeem's problem was that he was the better runner. Normally this lack of technique would not have been exposed since with anyone other than Carberry this was a two.

[Baundule]

Dhiman is a straight-forward solution. I do not understand why many of the BC members do not like him. Is it because he went to the IPL, or we need a Bradmanesque batting from a wicket-keeper?

[Zobair]

This is the only sensible solution. One that has been obvious for some time now.

Originally Posted by Imtiazk
I really don't see what the problem is.

First, pick the best wicket-keeper. I was very impressed with Dhiman in Australia [ as was Ian Chappell ]. But it can be Saghir or anyone else as long as he is the best.

Then, pick the six best batsmen. Mushfiq walks in with Tamim. Mushfiq should be the natural No.3.

This also means less dropped catches off spinners - our spinners have better control - and, of course, the opposition scores far fewer runs.

Answer = select Mushfiq as a batsman only.

He can continue as a WK in ODIs like Sangakarra, Dravid [ as he used to be before Dhoni ].

[inspyr9]

first of all why he can continue as a wk in odi? in all forms of cricket he should play as a batsmen. dropped catches cost us in odi too. i agree with baundule. dhiman should play. he has the experience. plus he is good wk. and i am sure he is not gonna do any worse than junaed aftab or imrul.

[ZeeshanM]

You guys are breaking Mushy's heart for being the next Sanga, Healy, Gilly...

[bangladesh_sy]

I say we file a complain to the father?

[Fazal]

Originally Posted by bangladesh_sy
I say we file a complain to the father?

Or future Father-in-Law?

[offstump]

he is going to improve a lot and soon become the no 4 batsman in both test and ODI and also t20. we require him for his grit, abilty to take singles and also some good strokeplay. forget rakibul. mushfiq is 100 times better than rakibul in playing the gritty stabilizer innings.

about his wicket keeping. i think soon we will see a new wicket keeper in the team. sometimes the confidence factor is a key. mushy is low in WK confidence thats the reason he perhaps missing catches. somebody else with higher confidence but lower skill could be useful

[Zunaid]

Imtiaz has pretty much said all there is to say about this. I wonder if the team management has the wherewithals to come to the same decision? Sadly, I think not.

[al Furqaan]

Originally Posted by Imtiazk
I really don't see what the problem is.

First, pick the best wicket-keeper. I was very impressed with Dhiman in Australia [ as was Ian Chappell ]. But it can be Saghir or anyone else as long as he is the best.

Then, pick the six best batsmen. Mushfiq walks in with Tamim. Mushfiq should be the natural No.3.

This also means less dropped catches off spinners - our spinners have better control - and, of course, the opposition scores far fewer runs.

Answer = select Mushfiq as a batsman only.

He can continue as a WK in ODIs like Sangakarra, Dravid [ as he used to be before Dhoni ].

if we pick a sp WK without regard to batting ability - which we must, we need to pick a keeper who can at least slog 30 runs off 20 balls or whatever. we can't play just 6 batsmen against 7 and expect a good result.

right now we are playing 8-9 batsmen vs 7 and still getting creamed by 100-200 runs. going with two fewer batsmen will only widen the gap.

[Tehsin]

Once again, it baffles me to see that the fans have a clear understanding of what needs to be done and those who can actually make that happen are clueless. Either BCB finds a quick way to help Mushy get his groove back or they find a suitable replacement who can bat a little, specially for tests.

With a lineup of:

Tamim
Imrul/Junaid
Jahurul/Ashraful (better then Aftab)
Mushy
Shakib
Riyad
Nayeem
Shuvo/Faisal
Keeper
Shahadat
Rubel/Shafiul

We'll have eight players who can bat even before we get to the keeper. Nothing wrong with that. If you consider the amount of runs we'd save when the keeper holds on to regulation chances or stops those four byes, the keeper will already have to score less then a batsmen would if Mushy was keeping.

[tiger_army]

I dont care.... I want Mushy in the team as batsman

[Rabz]

Mushy problem??
C'mon. The boy doesn't have any problem.

He just scored his 1000th run for BD.

[Sohel NR]

Shahin Hossain for tests and Dhiman Ghosh for the shorter versions. Please don't mention batsmen who haven't kept wicket in years just because Crackinfo still lists them as WKs.

GoBoy as specialist batsman at number 4, tests and ODIs.

[Aritro]

Originally Posted by Sohel NR
Shahin Hossain for tests and Dhiman Ghosh for the shorter versions. Please don't mention batsmen who haven't kept wicket in years just because Crackinfo still lists them as WKs.

GoBoy as specialist batsman at number 4, tests and ODIs.

Whos that then?