Bangladesh’s spin bowling consultant Mushtaq Ahmed expressed his eagerness on Monday to return to the national dressing room after completing his current commitments.
The BCB appointed Mushtaq ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup, and his impact was evident as he guided young leg spinner Rishad Hossain, who emerged as Bangladesh’s top performer in the tournament with 14 wickets.
However, Mushtaq’s recent decision to join England U-19s as a spin consultant on July 7 raised some eyebrows, as the BCB was looking to extend his contract.
Despite this, the Pakistan leg-spinner has confirmed that a reunion with Bangladesh is on the horizon.
“My representative is in talks with the Bangladesh Cricket Board, and I have already signed a few commitments as a consultant for different teams, counties, and franchises.
I need to fulfill those commitments, and after December, I will be more available.
Yes, everything is very positive, and I look forward to catching up with you guys again,” Mushtaq told Cricpulse on Monday.
“I had a really good time with the team.
They have a great bunch of guys who can challenge any team.
Before I signed, I worked with all the Bangladeshi cricketers, and I believe they are very talented.
All they need is belief and confidence, and they can challenge any team and change the environment.
Hopefully, they can become a very good team, especially in white-ball cricket,” he added.
“I made some commitments before I signed with Bangladesh that run until the World Cup, and I am looking forward to having a great time again.”
The BCB echoed this sentiment, revealing positive negotiations with Mushtaq and stating they are not looking for alternatives at the moment.
“According to our communication with Mushtaq, we wanted a specific number of days from him, but he couldn’t commit due to previous engagements, including an agreement with the England Cricket Board and other commitments.
Therefore, we made an agreement with him until the T20 World Cup,” BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury told reporters at the Sher-e-Bangla National on Monday.
“I spoke with him even today (July 8), and he had prior engagements until December, which included the England U19 job,” he said.
“We are discussing a long-term basis with him and have provided him with the FTP locked until 2027.
He is reviewing it and will get back to us soon.
Our board president mentioned in the last press conference that we are keen to have him, and because we are getting positive responses from him, we are only considering him as our spin consultant,” he added.
“After December, when we have him on a long-term basis, we would like him for a specific number of days, and he can work elsewhere when not engaged with us,” he concluded.
If Mushtaq cannot make time before December, he will miss Bangladesh’s tours of Pakistan, India, South Africa, and the West Indies.
However, he is likely to be part of the Bangladesh contingent for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to be held in Pakistan.
Leave a Reply