Mushfiqur targets strong start

Mushfiqur Rahim had to break a long-held superstition after being appointed Bangladesh's captain. For the past six years, he has made it a point not to speak to anyone in the media on the eve of an international match. Though he stuck to it on every occasion, that all changed on Monday when he spoke of his ambitions as a captain, and the realistic goals he has set ahead of the series against West Indies; he even admitted to prepping himself mentally before he betrayed his routine.

Bangladesh take on West Indies in the solitary Twenty20 on October 10, marking Mushfiqur's debut as captain. He hardly resembles one; the towering Darren Sammy even jokingly crouched as they posed with the trophies. But Mushfiqur wasn't asking the West Indians to bend down as yet, the 23-year-old instead wishing for a good start and a lockdown by the spinners.

"The start is very important," said Mushfiqur. "Like it was against New Zealand who were well prepared last year, it is going to be the same with West Indies. We need to believe that we can win against them and that will come when we make a good start.

"In international cricket, whether you're a captain or not, there's a lot of pressure. We'll get home support and help from the wicket, so I think sometimes it's better to look at the positives," he added.

He wants to mark his ascent as the leader of the pack with change in Bangladesh's fortunes. "We couldn't find the results as expected during the last tour. I want the team to perform as a unit. The difference that I want to create is by finding positive results," said Mushfiqur.

Coach Stuart Law, in his first home series in charge, believed that the new skipper is the sort of character everyone wants in a team. "Mushy is very much his own man," said Law. "He's very driven and knows what he needs to do to get the best out of himself.

"He's one of those players you love having in your team. He works very hard and hopefully that ethic comes into the team now. He's a great example to the younger players.

"I believe we can win the series. West Indies are a good outfit. We have to play well to beat them. They're ranked higher than us, I believe we go into this as the underdog.

"As long as we play smart cricket, we are a force at home," he said, adding that he wanted some international teams taking part in the BCB Cup though he regarded the preparatory one-day tournament as satisfactorily "competitive".