Former Pakistan cricketer and current Bangladesh spin coach Mushtaq Ahmed has said he personally intervened to defuse tensions between Mohammad Rizwan and Liton Das following a heated exchange during the second Test against Bangladesh.
Speaking during a recent TV show, Mushtaq said that he had held discussions with both the players to resolve the issue amicably.
“At the breakfast table, I spoke to Rizwan and Liton Das and resolved the issue between them. There was no issue between them,” Mushtaq said.
The former spinner defended Rizwan’s on-field behaviour, suggesting the Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman was deliberately using mind games as part of his tactical approach.
“Rizwan can be frustrating at times, but I believe he does it deliberately as a strategy. He deliberately does certain things to deceive the opponents so that they come out of the bubble, away from their game plan and lose focus,” he observed.
Mushtaq further said that he instructed Liton to avoid overstepping boundaries during verbal exchanges.
“I told him not to cross the line or make comments that go below the belt,” he insisted, adding that such incidents are not uncommon in Test cricket.
“That’s part of the beauty of Test cricket – frustrating each other, teasing each other and trying to distract the opposition from their plan and mindset. Tactically, it can be a smart move. The Australians do it a lot,” he added.
The comments came after a tense on-field clash during the second Test at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, where Litten and Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Santo engaged in verbal exchanges with Rizwan.
The incident disrupted the game for a while and during the delay, Liton confronted Rizwan and asked, “Yeh kya kar rahe ho aap? (What are you doing?)”, to which Rizwan replied towards the fielding position.
To which Liton replied, “Uthar kya tek rahe ho? Ithar tekko. (What do you see there? Look here.).”
Following the exchange, several Bangladeshi players were heard taunting Rizwan from the field. Comments like “Let’s deduct 50 rupees for this overacting”, “You are acting well, you should tell everyone” were directed towards him.
Another player was also heard saying, “His place in the team is assured, that’s why he’s exaggerating.”