Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim said maintaining consistency of playing good cricket has become a big challenge for them in the new series against Sri Lanka that begins today at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.”New series of the new year . . . it’s a challenge for us to maintain consistency and all the teammates are taking preparation through hard training .. we will try to give our best in the first match of the new year,” said Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim at a pre-match press conference at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Sunday.Asked about the fact that Bangladesh has been repeatedly failed to capitalize the opportunity of their home wicket advantage and the tourists make the best use of the wicket, Mushfiq said if they get advantage from the wicket made for the series, it would be possible to take all the twenty wickets of the opposition.”Not only a good wicket, a sporting wicket will matter… those who will be able to take the advantage on the pitch will get a good result in the Test,” he added.The diminutive wicket keeper said they are expecting to play a good cricket in the series and want to maintain the consistency of good cricket that they have been doing in the last few years. Boys put up an impressive performance making the Test draw in their home soil in Sri Lanka.The Bangladesh skipper admitted that despite putting a good performance in the first innings they failed to keep the consistency in the second innings: “We usually play good in the first innings but fail to keep it up in the second innings as the wicket does not always favor the batsmen. We are already working on it for some sort of solution.”Asked whether extra concentration would be given on the Sri Lankan batsmen as they are always proved successful against Bangladesh, Mushfiq said: “Each team have some good batsmen and extra plan is needed to restrict them …they have batsmen like Sangakkara and Mahela …we’ll try to work on their weak points. It would be better for us to get them out as early as possible.”Asked about his own expectation as a batsman from the series, the right handed batsman said he has high hope of doing well in the series .. it would be better for both him and the team if he is able to bring a good start for the team.”I will try my best to contribute to the team as much as I can .. I want to play a good innings and want to contribute for the team’s victory.The Bangladesh captain informed that the final eleven would be confirmed this morning (Monday) before the match. All the fourteen members are fully fit and the best eleven will be selected from them before taking to the field.
