After 21 years, Mushfiqur finally gets his shot in Australia

Bangladesh tour of Australia, 2026

After 21 years, Mushfiqur finally gets his shot in Australia

by Atif Azam •

As Bangladesh prepare for their first Test tour of Australia since 2003, Mushfiqur Rahim finally gets the opportunity he had waited over 21 years for © BCB

As Bangladesh prepare for their first Test tour of Australia since 2003, Mushfiqur Rahim finally gets the opportunity he had waited over 21 years for © BCB

The wait is finally over.

For Mushfiqur Rahim, the moment must have felt surreal as he walked into the DXC Arena, traditionally known as Marrara Cricket Ground, for Bangladesh's first training session ahead of the two-Test series against Australia.

Bangladesh are touring Australia for their first Test series there since 2003, facing a formidable challenge against a full-strength home side in a World Test Championship contest.

The visitors began their preparations with an intense training session at the DXC Arena, which will host the opening Test from August 13. The first batch of the Bangladesh Test squad arrived in Darwin on Saturday, while Litton Das and the remaining members of the touring party, who left Dhaka on August 2, are expected to join them shortly.

Among those spending long hours in the nets on the opening day was the experienced Mushfiqur Rahim.

While several members of the squad are excited about playing their maiden Test in Australia, the tour carries a different significance for Mushfiqur. Two decades into an illustrious international career, the veteran wicketkeeper-batter is finally getting the opportunity to play a Test on Australian soil.

Mushfiqur is the lone cricketer from Bangladesh's celebrated 'Fab Five' still singularly devoted to life on the field. His contemporaries - Mashrafe Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah - have all moved in different directions.

Shakib, who left Bangladesh following the July 2024 movement that led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, continues to play franchise cricket around the world. However, his political association as a former Awami League Member of Parliament has come to define him as much as his cricket.

Mortaza, too, has largely remained away from public life since the political upheaval. Having entered politics in 2018 under the Awami League banner and contested successive general elections, his public identity has increasingly shifted from cricketer to politician.

Tamim, meanwhile, took over as Bangladesh Cricket Board president after retiring from international cricket, while Mahmudullah has already begun preparing for life after playing.

Although Mahmudullah continues to feature in domestic cricket, he has also taken up mentoring responsibilities within the BCB setup. He currently works with the Under-19 side and is set to travel with Bangladesh A as batting coach during their Australia tour for the Top End T20 Series, signalling his intent to pursue coaching after retirement.

Mushfiqur, in contrast, has remained unwavering in his commitment to the game. As his contemporaries ventured into politics, administration and coaching, he continued doing what has defined his career - being among the first to arrive at training and the last to leave.

Now 39, Mushfiqur is Bangladesh's only cricketer to have played over 100 Tests. Yet, despite a Test career spanning more than 21 years, this is his first tour of Australia.

Those close to the veteran say he believed Bangladesh would return to Australia much sooner after leading the side to their historic Test victory over Australia in Mirpur in 2017. Instead, the opportunity never came, forcing him to wait nearly a decade for his first chance to play a Test in Australia's backyard.

The long wait has only sharpened his preparation. In the lead-up to the series, Mushfiqur is understood to have prepared meticulously on his own, determined to leave no stone unturned. After speaking to friends living in Australia, he familiarised himself with the conditions expected at this time of year and even decided to carry a slightly lighter bat than usual, believing the surfaces would allow him to play more square of the wicket.

He has also worked specifically on handling the inswinger, fully aware of the threat posed by Australia's pace spearheads Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.

Habibul Bashar, former Bangladesh captain and the BCB's chief selector, believes the veteran is finally getting the reward for years of relentless dedication. "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," said Habibul.

"He will obviously try to do something special and he deserves something like this (fulfilling the dream of playing against Australia at their own backyard) for all his hard work," he added.

For Mushfiqur, this tour is about far more than another Test assignment. It is the fulfilment of a dream that took more than two decades to materialise, and perhaps his only opportunity to leave his mark on Australian soil. He will cherish every moment - and he knows better than anyone that another chance like this may never come.

© Cricbuzz

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