I am really excited, says Mushfiq

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim says he is excited by the prospect of playing Australia when they arrive in Bangladesh for a two-Test series.

The bitter pay dispute that threatened Australia’s two-Test tour of Bangladesh, finally came to an end when an agreement was reached between Cricket Australia (CA) and the players’ union.

When it comes to Test cricket – Australia are the team to beat. Mushfiq was genuinely pleased by the prospect of playing Australia at home. He said: “I am really excited, it’s a great news and it’s a positive news for cricket.

“I am especially excited because I haven’t played against Australia in Test matches before.”

The batsman has played in 54 Test matches and scored 3265 runs at an average of 35.48. The dependable batsman scored five Test centuries in his career and 17 half-centuries. While the Bangladesh captain has played against all big cricket nations since his debut against England in 2005, he however has never played a Test match against Australia.

Mushfiq was not a regular member of the Bangladesh national team Test setup until 2008. So, when Australia last visited Bangladesh for a Test series, Mushfiq did not feature for Bangladesh.

Australia were supposed to visit Bangladesh in 2015 for a Test-tour but the tour was cancelled due to security concerns.

This time around, Australia Test team are scheduled to arrive on August 18 for a two-Test series. The Australia team last played a Test series in Bangladesh back in 2006. Australia won the two-Test series 0-2.

The first Test is scheduled for August 27 at the Shere-e-Bangla stadium in Dhaka. The second Test will be played on September 4 at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong.