Mushfiq not going to Pakistan
Mushfiq also added that he was not taking part in the Pakistan Super League twenty20 tournament and expected the board to “respect” his decision.
The saga between Mushfiqur Rahim and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has taken another turn as the veteran batsman has once again expressed that he won't tour Pakistan for the third leg of the Pakistan tour.
Bangladesh are set to play a one-day international (ODI) and a Test match at Rawalpindi in April and the BCB president Nazmul Hassan had recently told the media that Mushfiq is under contract to play so he should go.
"I made my stance clear about Pakistan, and they (BCB) have also accepted it," Mushfiq told local media.
Mushfiq also added that he was not taking part in the Pakistan Super League twenty20 tournament and expected the board to "respect" his decision.
"They should have shown me respect for not putting my name in the PSL draft either. I think it is pretty clear. It won't change in the future. I wish well to those who are going to Pakistan," Mushfiq expressed.
After ditching wicket-keeping and focusing only on his batting, Mushfiq has been reaping its rewards by being the highest run-scorer for Bangladesh against India in India.
The right-hander then went on to score a double-century against Zimbabwe in the last Test match and as a result became the Bangladesh player with the most Test runs, toppling Tamim Iqbal.
Mushfiq's excellent form with the bat, coupled with Bangladesh's performances in Tests recently, where they have lost six of the last seven Tests among with five have been by an innings; the other defeat came against newcomers Afghanistan at home.
All of the Bangladesh players have so far travelled to Pakistan in the first two legs of the tour barring Mushfiq, who cited family concerns about the security in Pakistan for his exclusion.
The 32-year-old had sent a letter to the BCB to explain the need to be excluded from the Pakistan tour and the BCB had earlier agreed to it.
But seeing that two leg of the tour had already gone by and there were no issues with security, the BCB president Nazmul Hassan expected Mushfiq to have a change of heart.
This was a complete change in decision from Hassan who had previously stated that every player had a choice to whether they wanted to travel to Pakistan or not.
"We are expecting that he would go. Not only him, but every contracted player should go," he had said. "Players have to think about the country, and not just themselves. This is what I personally feel. The country comes before everything else.
"Everyone should keep it in mind. We will remind them that the contracted players must play as they are told, when selected. It never occurred to me that one has to tell them this, too."
Whatever happens from here remains to be seen but things between Mushfiqur Rahim and the board are not smooth and definitely show a difference in understanding between both parties.