Mushfiqur Rahim is not really a selfie person, or is he?
On Tuesday, ahead of his 100th Test, he arrived in a different avatar. Coming out of the dressing room in his practice kit, he was greeted by loud claps from the reporters waiting for him.
For the last two years, he has been a rare presence in press conferences. The last time he faced the media was in Sri Lanka, back in June at Galle, after a 153-run knock. Ahead of the second Test against Ireland in Mirpur, everyone waited for him to appear, but it was head coach Phil Simmons who spoke instead.
Search on Google or YouTube and you will find very few interviews of Mushfiqur, a testament to his deliberate distance from the noise of the media over the past few years. The senior pro has shared a bittersweet relationship with the press.
Mushfiqur is known for his hard work and dedication to the game. His work ethic has been a role model for generations of Bangladesh cricketers. His debut Test cap tells the story itself, once green, now grey and worn.
Despite all his effort, Mushfiqur has faced ups and downs in his long career. Controversies and criticism have come his way, moments that sparked public debate and backlash.
Back in the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup, Bangladesh struggled, and so did Mushfiqur. After scoring 57 runs against Sri Lanka in the Super 12 round, he faced the media and responded straightforwardly, like the man he is, “I have been playing for 16 years, this is nothing new for me, it all feels very normal to me. And those who say such things should take a look at themselves in the mirror, because they do not play for Bangladesh, we do.”
The statement sparked social media, and mirror jokes circulated widely.
Mushfiqur has a reputation for being the first to arrive on the field and the last to leave. His records speak for themselves. In 2022, he became the first Bangladeshi to reach 5000 Test runs, achieving his eighth century against Sri Lanka in Chattogram. Asked if he felt lucky, he replied pointing to his forehead, “If you say being lucky, this forehead that you are looking at, Hasbunal-lahu wa ni’mal wakeel, ni’mal maula wa ni’mal naseer. When I get up to practice, many of you are still asleep, so by Allah’s mercy, even if just a little, Allah sees it.”
On December 6, 2023, during a Test against New Zealand in Mirpur, Mushfiqur again became the center of debate, being dismissed for handling the ball after defending a delivery from Kyle Jamieson into the ground and then swatting it away with his right hand after it bounced wide outside off stump.
Despite these moments, Mushfiqur has chosen to step back from the media, keeping the focus on his cricket. Yet if you look at his career as a whole, beyond stats and records, you see a man who faced insecurities, flaws, stubbornness, and the crushing weight of expectations, but still stood tall.
Few imagined that anyone from Bangladesh could play 100 Tests, yet Mushfiqur has earned this honor. Thrown into top-level cricket at an early age, facing legends like Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison, and Simon Jones at Lord’s, he endured failures and setbacks. Over 20 years, his discipline, grit, and refusal to break have made him the highest run-scorer in Bangladesh Test history, with the most double centuries, the second-most centuries overall, and the first Bangladeshi to reach the 100-Test milestone.
Mushfiqur has played through many phases of Bangladesh cricket, from the early 2000s to 2025. He is the one who carried red-ball cricket forward, leaving behind a legacy that will endure. Bangladesh gained Test status in 2000, and Mushfiqur has not only played the game, he has lived through it. From a clean-shaven, baby-faced prodigy to a bearded, seasoned veteran, he has seen it all.
For the last two decades, he has carried belief when nobody else believed, choosing to dream big, paving the path for the next generation, founding the standards of Bangladesh Test cricket, raising the bar, and setting the benchmark. He is living proof that greatness in Test cricket is achievable, even from a country like Bangladesh.
And returning to the first line of this story, is Mushfiqur Rahim really not a selfie person? On Tuesday, under the scorching sun at SBNCS, he posed for photos with the journalists he has avoided, smiling for selfies and taking requests with ease.
That, in the end, makes the statement entirely logical, “Mushi being Mushi”
