Mustafiz confident to play longer version
He thinks cutter and slower wont be effective in Test
Sports Reporter
While he flummoxed the batsmen with his mysterious cutter and slower to prove him as one of the finest bowlers Bangladesh has ever seen, Mustafizur Rahman saw the other side of cricket in a short span of time.
No sooner had he spent one year of his career in the cricketing ground, he was ravaged by several injuries including shoulder injury that even needed an operation to be healed. The operation and injury effectively put an adverse impact on him psychologically as he pondered himself unfit to play against India despite being medically fit. Therefore he was given rest and it worked as wonder if the current condition of Mustafizur Rahman is anything to go by. He now looks as fresh as he was during the start of his career.
In the meantime, he played two first class matches in the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) in which he showed some amazing performance to retrieve the Mustafizur of his old. While he bowled in a longer spell, it gave an impression that the left arm pacer is fully ready for the five-day game in which Bangladesh badly needs, considering the series against Sri Lanka is in around the corner. Bangladesh eye to capture their first ever Test victory against top flight opposition in overseas condition for which they believer Mustafizur could play a vital role. The Fizz as he is adorably called, briefly came back into the international circuit with the series against New Zealand in last December-January but his involvement was limited only to the limited overs game.
However as the Bangladesh starts training session for the series against Sri Lanka, in the last two days he bowled with full intensity against the national players. Yesterday he bowled along with other pacers under the vigil of full coaching staffs led by head coach Chandika Hathurusingha. He spoke to media after the end of the second days practice session, where he said that he is fully confident to play the longer version cricket.
I was out of cricket for a long period. After returning from injury I was in New Zealand tour with the team but I didnt play the Test series. Actually I was not ready for the five-day game right after returning from the injury. And that was the reason to opt out the Test against India too, said Mustafizur Rahman who was presented his trophy by per popular cricket website Cricinfo which announced him the best T20 bowler of the last year. The level of my confidence has been increased after playing the two first class matches in the BCL. My performance was good according to me.
At the moment everything is going well and I am ready to comeback in all format of the cricket. Bangladesh will fly for Sri Lanka February 27 to play a full series that including all formats of the cricket and that will be his first Test series after staging a comeback. He vows to give his best if he gets opportunity to play against the Islanders.
I am in the Test squad although I dont know whether I will play the Test match. I am though ready and if I get the chance, Ill give my best effort.
Even though his cutter and slower have been the deadly weapon in the limited over cricket, Mustafizur knows very well, those two stock deliveries wont fetch him wickets in abundance in the longer version format like the ODI and T20 cricket.
He is aware of that and said he tried to bowl in a relentless rhythm, keeping the ling and length correct.
My cutter and slower wont be that effective in longer version format. I gave some cutters and slower in the BCL and that didnt fetch me the wickets I expected. Thats why I tried to keep the ball in right areas and swing it in both ways.
