Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons has said that Mushfiqur Rahim is not planning an ODI return for now.
Mushfiq retired from ODI cricket after playing in the ICC Champions Trophy last year. Since then, he has played domestic cricket and continued in the Test team.
There was talk that he could return to the ODI side. Reports said captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz wanted him back. But Simmons cleared the matter on Wednesday.
“Mushfiq has decided that he will focus on Test cricket. He has reached the milestone of playing 100 matches, which is a great achievement. We will see what happens in the future.”
Bangladesh have struggled in the ODI middle order. The team has not got steady runs in that phase. This led to the talk of Mushfiq’s return.
Simmons said the team needs to improve in batting. “We have areas to improve in every aspect of our game, especially in batting. From the top order to numbers 5, 6, 7 and 8, there is a lot of room for improvement and we are constantly trying to get better. In the last 10 overs, we have been doing well, like in the last match against Pakistan where we scored 80 runs.”
He also spoke about Soumya Sarkar, who did not play in the last series.
“Soumya is a very good player. He played well against the West Indies. But he has missed a lot of cricket in between and those who played in his place have done well. So he has to keep trying to come back.”
Simmons added that players must adjust to new roles. “Almost all of our batters play in the top order in domestic cricket. But when they come here, they have to adapt to different positions. The big thing in international cricket is adapting to situations, not what you have done in domestic cricket.”
