'We have the right to go all the way': Mushtaq Ahmed backs Bangladesh to reach World Test Championship final

Bangladesh spin-bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed has thrown his full weight behind the Tigers' bid to reach the World Test Championship (WTC) final, insisting the team have every right to dream of a top-two finish despite their defeat in Mackay that followed a historic win in Darwin.

"Inshallah, why not?"

With Bangladesh still firmly in contention for a place in the WTC final, the former Pakistan leg-spinner sees no reason why the side cannot go the distance. "Inshallah, why not? We are in a great position now. If we play good cricket and keep believing, we have the right to go all the way," said Mushtaq, the team's spin-bowling coach.

The road to the final

The arithmetic is demanding but achievable. Bangladesh need 47 more points from their six remaining Tests to strengthen their case for a top-two finish. To maximise their chances, they must win all four of their remaining home Tests against the West Indies and England, while a single additional win from their other two Tests would give them an excellent chance of qualification.

Changing the mindset

Mushtaq believes the biggest hurdle is psychological rather than technical, and says instilling a fearless approach is central to the coaching staff's job. "The only way you can win matches at the international level is when you are not worried about losing. This is the mindset we, as coaches, have to change. Credit goes to all the players, selectors, and stakeholders because they are on the same page and believe we can challenge any team now," he added.

Spin camp in Mirpur

Alongside Bangladesh's WTC push, Mushtaq is currently conducting a four-day spin camp for local spinners from the High Performance and Under-23 squads at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. Former Bangladesh left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak has joined him at the camp, along with a few other local coaches, including another former left-arm spinner, Nabil Samad.

Developing local spin-bowling coaches

The 54-year-old also stressed the need to build a pipeline of homegrown spin-bowling coaches who can nurture the next generation of spinners. "Bangladesh cricket structure with the spinners is very good. That's why I think those camps have to be regular. Every third month we should do that because I think they will get lots of benefits from it," he said.

"Not only spinners, we can develop the spin bowling coaches also locally, so they can understand how to work with the basics and alignment and technical and tactical [stuff]. The local coaches are also with me now, four or five of them now and they are also learning the art of spin and how we can develop good spinners."

The art of spin

Mushtaq, one of the finest wrist-spinners of his era, emphasised that spin bowling is as much about game sense as it is about skill. "The spin department is always about when to attack and when not to. Is this a situation to restrict runs or to take wickets? With the pitch spinning, what field positions do you need? What are the strengths of the batsman? You have to teach them all these things and then tell them that good overs will get you wickets, not just good balls," he added.