When Mushfiqur Rahim entered the DXC Arena, formerly known as Marrara Cricket Ground, for Bangladesh’s first training session prior to the two-Test series against Australia, it must have seemed weird.
As they travel to Australia for their first Test series since 2003, Bangladesh will be up against a strong home team in a World Test Championship match.
At the DXC Arena, which will host the first Test starting on August 13, the visitors started their preparations with a rigorous training session. Litton Das and the other members of the touring party, who departed Dhaka on August 2, are anticipated to join the first group of the Bangladesh Test team, which landed in Darwin on Saturday.
The seasoned Mushfiqur Rahim was one of those who worked long shifts in the nets on the opening day.
While a number of team members are eager to play their first Test in Australia, Mushfiqur has a different perspective on the journey. The seasoned wicketkeeper-batter is now getting the chance to play a Test on Australian soil after twenty years of an incredible international career.
Mushfiqur is the only member of Bangladesh’s renowned “Fab Five” cricket team who is still completely committed to the game. Mahmudullah, Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, and Mashrafe Mortaza, his contemporaries, have all taken distinct paths.
Shakib, who left Bangladesh when the Awami League administration led by Sheikh Hasina fell in July 2024, still plays franchise cricket all over the world. But more than his cricket career, his political affiliation as a former Awami League MP has come to define him.
Since the political turmoil, Mortaza has also mostly stayed out of the public eye. His public persona has gradually changed from cricket player to politician when he entered politics in 2018 under the Awami League flag and ran in several general elections.
While Mahmudullah has already started getting ready for life after playing, Tamim assumed the role of president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board upon his retirement from international cricket.
Mahmudullah has taken up mentorship duties within the BCB structure, even though he still plays in domestic cricket. In an indication of his desire to continue coaching after retirement, he is now employed with the Under-19 team and is scheduled to travel with Bangladesh A as batting coach during their Top End T20 Series trip of Australia.
In contrast, Mushfiqur’s dedication to the game has not wavered.
He kept doing what has defined his career—being among the first to arrive for training and the last to leave—while his peers pursued careers in politics, administration, and coaching.
Mushfiqur, who is currently 39, is the only cricket player from Bangladesh to have participated in more than 100 Test matches. However, this is his first tour of Australia despite having played Test cricket for more than 21 years.
After leading the team to their historic Test triumph over Australia in Mirpur in 2017, those close to the veteran say he thought Bangladesh would return to Australia much sooner. Rather, the chance never materialised, and he had to wait almost ten years for his first Test match in Australia.
His preparedness has only improved as a result of the lengthy delay. It is believed that Mushfiqur prepared painstakingly on his own in the run-up to the series, making sure to do everything. He decided to carry a somewhat lighter bat than normal because he thought the surfaces would allow him to play more square of the wicket after talking to friends who live in Australia about the circumstances expected at this time of year.
Aware of the threat posed by Australia’s pace leaders Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, he has also focused on managing the inswinger.
Former Bangladesh captain and top selector for the BCB, Habibul Bashar, thinks the veteran is at last receiving recognition for years of unwavering commitment. “Every Test match is important, even the ones against Zimbabwe, from a personal side, this will probably be his (Mushfiqur) last Test match in Australia,” Habibul added.
He will undoubtedly attempt to accomplish something exceptional, and for all of his hard work, he deserves something like this—fulfilling the dream of playing against Australia in their own country,” he continued.
This tour is much more than just another Test assignment for Mushfiqur. It is the realisation of a dream that took over 20 years to come true and possibly his sole chance to make an impact in Australia. He will treasure every second, and he is the only one who understands that another opportunity like this might not present again.
