At 160cm tall, Mushfiqur Rahim has stood above all other keeper-batsmen at this World Cup

SAM MORSHEAD AT THE HAMPSHIRE BOWL: With seven games gone, Bangladesh are still sniffing around a semi-final berth, and their motor-mouthed gloveman is a major reason why

Scorecard

It is not often that Mushfiqur Rahim stands head and shoulders above the rest on a cricket field.

At 160 centimetres tall, Bangladesh’s chirpy campaigner hardly presents an imposing frame at the crease or behind the stumps, relying instead on his chatterbox demeanour and excellent reflexes to make his presence felt.

Yet, at this World Cup, there is not a wicketkeeper-batsman who can match Mushfiqur, either for overall impact on the competition or for sheer importance to his side - not Jos Buttler, not MS Dhoni, not Alex Carey, Sarfraz Ahmed nor Quinton de Kock.

With seven games gone, Bangladesh are still sniffing around a semi-final berth, and their motor-mouthed gloveman is a major reason why.

Here at the Hampshire Bowl, Mushfiqur added another 83 runs to his tournament tally, raising it to 327 - the nearest wicketkeeper, De Kock, has 238 - while he has six catches and a pair of stumpings to his name as well.

But his importance to Bangladesh goes beyond the numbers. Mushfiqur has become a crucial pivot in the team - a cool head with the bat and a reliable pair of hands in the field, that unfortunate missed run out of Kane Williamson in the first week aside.

^{Mushfiqur Rahim made 83 against Afghanistan}

It should not be a surprise that this diminutive boy from Bogra has featured so prominently on a major international stage. Quite frankly he has been doing it his entire life.

Mushfiqur was just a child when he made his Test debut- at Lord’s of all places - 14 years ago. When you are representing your country against Harmison, Hoggard, Flintoff and Jones at the peak of their powers, you grow up fast. Not literally, you understand.

Had his figurative growth as a cricketer been aligned with his height, by his mid-20s Mushfiqur would not have been able to fit through a pavilion doorframe on earth. He captained the Tigers at the age of 23, by 26 he had led the team more times in Tests than anyone else and the following year he became Bangladesh’s first double-centurion, in Galle.

Four years ago, in Australia and New Zealand, he racked up four half-centuries in seven World Cup innings, including 89 in his side’s famous victory over England in Adelaide.

VISIT THE WORLD CUP PORTAL

This is a man, then, who can be relied upon by his country.

He is wily, he is adaptable and, perhaps most crucially, he places very obvious value on his own wicket.

His 83 here at Southampton, on a worn pitch being used for the second time in three days, was a prime example of that. The surface was stuffy and fluffy and not particularly fun to bat on, like taking guard on a hessian mat, yet Mushfiqur took his time to find a way.

He hit just five boundaries - four fours and a wonderful, strike-a-pose six on the charge over mid-on off Dawlat Zadran - but rotated the strike cleverly, finding gaps in the field and rarely taking any risks.

While his teammates lacked rhythm in the middle overs - Tamim Iqbal struck at 67 runs per 100 balls, Shakib Al Hasan at 73 and Mahmudullah at 71 on that pub carpet of a pitch - Mushfiqur just kept ticking over in the late 80s and early 90s, a Swiss watch effortlessly keeping track of time.

He seemed destined for a second century in a row, after an unbeaten 102 in a losing cause against Australia, only to miscue a pull off Dawlat and pick out midwicket on 83. It was the first time he had lost control in nearly two-and-a-half hours at the crease.

Compare this performance to that of Dhoni, just 48 hours previously on the same strip and against the same bowling attack.

^{Mushfiqur has been in fine form during the World Cup}

While India’s heralded former captain prodded and poked around like an adventurer making a discovery in the wild, Mushfiqur read the flight and the bounce and shifted his footwork accordingly.

Unlike Dhoni, he did not allow the dot balls to stack up. Unlike Dhoni, he always looked to be proactive, stepping across to off or backing away to keep the scoreboard moving. Unlike Dhoni, he gave his team continued impetus. Bangladesh ended up with 37 more runs than India managed on Saturday, and it was largely down to the difference in approach between the two keepers.

Bangladesh are a team without ego, and Mushfiqur encapsulates that attitude perfectly.

For nearly 75 overs of their victory over South Africa at The Oval last month, on one of the hottest days of the tournament, he worked away with bat and gloves under a lid, all the while keeping fast during Ramadan.

He made 78 that day, again at pretty much a run a ball, and followed it with 44 against England prior to his century against the Aussies. He has only conceded six byes all tournament, too - no mean feat given the amount of time he has spent in the middle of the action.

He may not be the biggest of World Cup wicketkeepers - in either stature or notoriety - but he has certainly made himself heard.

Our coverage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is brought to you in association with Cricket 19, the official video game of the Ashes. Order your copy now at Amazon.co.uk