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After completing a 3-0 cleansweep in the T20I series, Bangladesh have been humbled by Afghanistan in the ongoing ODI series. Their batters lacked application on bowler-friendly tracks as they have not been able to bat the full 50 overs. After 221 all out in the opening ODI, they were bowled out for 109 in the second, losing the low-scoring match by 81 runs. The collapses have led to Bangladesh’s spin bowling coach saying that their batters have been playing the bowler, not the ball. After early strikes from Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid's fifer wrecked Bangladesh batting lineup as they failed to get anywhere near the 191-run target.
"I think they are playing Rashid, not the ball," Mushtaq said after the game. "He is not a big spinner of the ball. But he is very experienced. He is a wicket-taker. His line and length is very consistent. I think we have to sometimes play the ball, not the bowler. We have to improve quickly.
"If you have great temperament you can play against any bowler in international cricket. Rashid has been very successful for many, many years for Afghanistan, but [at the] same time as a Bangladeshi batting unit, we should know how to play the ball, not the bowler."
Mushtaq explains what batters need to do against spinners
Mushtaq expects Bangladesh batters to absorb the pressure and look to rotate strike in the middle overs against the spinners instead of looking for the release shot.
"You must have a better technique against spinners in middle overs, how to get singles on good balls. If you can rotate a strike, I think that will put more pressure on bowlers than yourself," Mushtaq said.
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"I think when you play lots of dot ball, and then you have to play a big shot, that's why you start losing a wicket. Being a spinner [myself], I know that the people who score runs easily, singles and doubles, that puts more pressure on a spinner."
Bangladesh batters struggling to shift from T20I mindset?
Before the ODI series, Bangladesh played plenty of T20Is during the lead-up to the T20 Asia Cup 2025. Mushtaq feels that batting is the only department which has not been able to complete the transition from T20Is to ODIs.
"I think there is an issue in batting coming from T20s into ODIs. Everything else is clicking. Our fielding standard, fitness, spin and fast bowling are all doing well. Our system is working well. They are playing good cricket. So if we sort out our batting in the 50-over format, that will be great for us. I think it is very, very important that we have to improve a lot in batting," said the former Pakistan spinner.
Even though Bangladesh have lost the series already, they will have a point to prove in the third ODI which is scheduled to be played on October 14.
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