It is a new skill for me, says Mushy

When Mushfiqur Rahim walked to the crease with just 15 balls remaining in the innings with the score reading 221 for three, something extraordinary was required to go past even the 250 mark for Bangladesh after a record 207-run second-wicket stand between Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal on Sunday.

The experienced wicketkeeper-batsman saved the best for last as he, along with centurion Tamim, struck 43 runs in the last two overs to post a challenging 279 for four in 50 overs.

The pocket-sized dynamo blasted three fours and a couple of sixes in his 11-ball 30, clobbering 22 runs in the penultimate over from West Indies captain Jason Holder.

"The only thing I thought when I went out to bat was to just charge the bowlers and look to score as many runs I could. I was focusing on the gaps and tried to work the ball in those areas. Wind was blowing from one side of the ground so I tried to play with the wind which helped to get the distance," Mushfiqur told The Daily Star over phone yesterday.

However, it was not the first time that the 31-year-old showed his hitting ability. His five consecutive boundaries off pacer Karim Janat in the third T20I against Afghanistan, when Bangladesh needed thirty of the last 12 balls, almost took the team across the winning line but eventually ended in a heart-breaking one-run defeat.

Mushfiqur informed that it is a new experience for him and the right-hander is working to develop his power hitting in training sessions.

"It's a new thing for me, to be honest -- batting in such situations where you don't have enough deliveries to face and at the same time need to score runs. I have started to develop this recently in the training session keeping such situations in mind. Another important thing is that I am working on my balance while hitting the ball and Alhamdulillah I got the rhythm and hopefully I will look to continue like this in future," he said.

Mushfiqur also praised Tamim and Shakib's partnership, which laid the foundation for the Tigers on a slow Guyana pitch.

"The pitch was a tough one in the first 15-20 overs and after the rain it got slower and there was turn as well. Credit goes to both Shakib and Tamim for how they handled the situation -- especially Tamim, who charged in the last two overs. I should also mention Shakib's innings which was equally important for us and at one point we thought the score will be around 250. It's good that we ended up posting 280. Hopefully we will be able to continue like this and our aim will be to win the next game and ensure the series," Mushfiqur added.