'Nice to be called captain after a long time'

The Test match starting tomorrow will not only see Bangladesh returning to the longest version of the game for the first time, it also signals Mushfiqur Rahim to take the reins of the country's Test team after a gap of 15 months. 

It has almost been as long since he last fronted up to the press, the last time being in November 2015 after his ODI century against Zimbabwe in Dhaka. His first utterance during the press conference ahead of tomorrow's first Test against England at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong showed that he had missed calling the shots at the head of the national team. 

"I am being addressed as captain after a long time, it is nice to hear," said the diminutive wicketkeeper-batsman with a smile. 

About the Test tomorrow, Mushfiqur brushed aside concerns over the long gap between Tests and instead focused on his team's plans. 

"We will try to get the best combination. The wicket and weather are different, so we haven't been able to select the team yet," said Mushfiqur when asked about the much-discussed possible combination for the first Test. "For instance, if tomorrow we come and see that the wicket looks different, because everyday we are seeing that because of the weather the wicket is different. So, for that reason we have different plans. We have enough spinners in the squad, according to the plan we have made.

"If the wicket helps our strength then I believe that we have enough quality bowlers that can take 20 wickets. Andf if we take our chances, of course that is possible," Mushfiqur added.  

With just two pacers in the squad, it is pretty obvious that spin will be the weapon of choice for the Tigers. That may be the 'plan' that Mushfiqur is talking about.