Mushtaq backs Bangladesh's WTC final ambition

Bangladesh's World Test Championship campaign remains alive after the split result in Australia, and spin-bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed has urged the team to carry its growing belief into the six Tests still remaining in the cycle.

Bangladesh currently sit fourth in the WTC standings with a points percentage of 55.56. Their Australia campaign produced a landmark victory in Darwin before the hosts levelled the two-Test series with a win in Mackay.

The result has left Bangladesh with six Tests still to play. Four are scheduled at home against the West Indies and England, while the other two will be away from home. Current calculations indicate that Bangladesh need 47 more points to strengthen their position in the race for the top two.

Mushtaq believes the team should approach that challenge without being consumed by the fear of defeat. He said Bangladesh have earned the right to believe they can go all the way if they continue to play good cricket.

The former Pakistan spinner was speaking after working with Bangladesh's emerging spinners at a specialist camp in Mirpur. The programme has focused not only on bowling skills but also on the mental and tactical aspects of spin bowling.

Mushtaq has also stressed the importance of developing a repeatable bowling action, reading pitches and understanding batters rather than relying only on individual deliveries. He recently described the mental side of international cricket as a major part of a spinner's development.

For the national side, the immediate task is to convert the confidence gained in Australia into results over the remainder of the WTC cycle. Winning all four remaining home Tests against the West Indies and England would take Bangladesh's points percentage to 61.11, while another victory away would further strengthen their position.

The qualification equation will ultimately depend on results across the wider WTC table, so Bangladesh cannot control the entire race themselves. What they can control is their own six-match run.

That is the challenge now facing the team: maintain the confidence shown in Australia, collect as many points as possible and keep the WTC final target within reach until the end of the cycle.