Saqlain praises Razzak's role

Saqlain Mushtaq has said the contribution of left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak's in Friday's 121-run over Zimbabwe has not gone unnoticed. Saqlain is now with Bangladesh was their spin bowling consultant, as part of his deal with the BCB to be in the role for 100 days in 2013.

He has been credited for guiding offspinner Sohag Gazi since his debut and has offering his advice to Razzak as well. Saqlain said that one wicket, that of Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor, was a vital contribution from a bowler who also had to adjust to the conditions.

"When someone comes back to the international arena, he needs some time to adjust to that climate," Saqlain said. "But I'm happy, because he got the wicket of the key man, Taylor. The captain was in very good form, he got hundreds in each innings of the first Test and I think he is their main player, and he took his wicket.

"I don't care about if he bowled flat. I just care about wickets, figures and how much a bowler contributes. He did a good job for us, took the main man out."

Saqlain revealed his conversation with Razzak in the dressing-room ahead of the Zimbabwe innings. "When he went inside I told him, 'we have done our preparations in the nets and we talked a lot about strategies. But now you are going on the field. You adjust according to the pitch, conditions and the situation. Try to play your game'."

Razzak's wicket of Taylor was the only one picked up by a spinner in the opening match of the series with the other eight being shared by the seamers Ziaur Rahman, Shafiul Islam and Robiul Islam. The pace bowlers also took 21 wickets in the Test series, while the spinners picked up 15. Saqlain sees the domination of the pace bowlers in the wicket-taking stakes as a welcome addition to the team's strength.

"We are improving not just in the spin department, but the fast bowling department as well. In the future hopefully we won't rely on just one department. We will play together and we will perform in all the areas; fast bowling, spin, batting and also in the field.

"We shouldn't say that we depend on the spinners. We play as a team, and the team plays together and they perform in all the departments. You can't win depending on just one department. The seamers are performing really well, in the Test matches and the ODIs as well. This is a good sign."