Fizz’s chance to make impact in ‘make or break’ contest

Amid the run-fest, the pacers made their presence felt in this World Cup with left-arm pacers looking more potent than anyone else.

Australia’s Mitchell Starc has been leading the pack with 24 scalps in eight matches, a staggering three wickets per match, while the likes of Mohammad Amir, Trent Boult are not far away.

Amir and Boult so far claimed 16 and 13 wickets respectively to put them in fourth and sixth place, meaning three left-arm pacers in the top six bowling list.

India’s Jasprit Bumrah, another southpaw in the cricket’s biggest carnival, didn’t take that much wickets but remained almost unplayable so far.

They not only took wickets but also curbed the batsmen’s aggression, which was reflected in their economy rate also. Neither of them conceded more than five runs per over.

While the left-arm pacers scripted their side’s victory in every match, the scenario is not same in the case of Bangladesh, who also have blessed with an enormously talented left-arm pacer in Mustafizur Rahman.

The Fizz, as he is adorably called, so far took 10 wickets in six matches but never had he looked comfortable in this World Cup. Though he was successful in death overs, with the new ball, he looked pale.

His ordinary performance with the new ball is the reason that Bangladesh weren’t successful in first 10 overs. Only once in their six matches in the ongoing World Cup — in the match against New Zealand on June 5 — have Bangladesh taken more than one wicket in the first 10 overs.

Bangladesh will take on India in their ‘do or die’ match on Tuesday.

With Bangladesh’s World Cup is on the line, they couldn’t afford to allow India survive first 10 overs. India’s batting strength lies in their top three batsmen-Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli. And if they are taken out early, India looks vulnerable, a thing that was proved time and again in the past.

However the proved template is: If India’s openers can survive first 10 overs, they can cause havoc on opponents.

So it’s the time for Mustafizur Rahman to pull up the socks and lead the fast bowling pack. He can draw inspiration from his debut series against India, in which he took 13 wickets from three games to help Bangladesh win their first bilateral series against the sub-continent giants in 2015.

Can he emulate that performance?

But the problem is Mustafizur then took only two wickets in three matches against India in ODIs. But those two wickets came in the last match he played against India in Asia Cup in 2018. He took 2-38 to push India back-foot even though India eventually won the game.

Even in the World Cup warm-up game, Mustafizur bowled extremely well with the new ball against India.

Mustafizur’s last two performances against India actually gave a ray of hope that he could do something to keep Bangladesh in the World Cup semifinal race.

“The main challenge will be that they are going face a strong Indian batting. If they can’t get rid of Rohit Sharma early, he might play a big innings,” said Bangladesh’s inaugural Test head coach Sarwar Imran.

“If we can’t get early wickets against India, they will definitely score big. We can’t depend on Shakib Al Hasan all the time, pace bowlers must also come forward. So, it’s very important to take early wickets against India otherwise the match go in their favor.”

Imran believes Mustafizur Rahman has to take the bulk of responsibility as captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza is unable to pull the string like the past.

“In bowling, partnership will be needed. If one bowler bowls well but another is giving away runs then it will difficult to create pressure,” he said.

“Partnership is of course important but I must say, it’s not just for two overs, any bowler who comes into ball will have to maintain it,” he said.

“The thing is we don’t have any bowler now to bowl with the new ball. The service we were getting from Mashrafe we are not getting it now, so Mustafizur would have to lead the way,” he concluded.

Amidst all the buzz surrounding around England and Pakistan to seal one of the four spots in the top four, Bangladesh realize that they too have an outside chance and are quietly preparing themselves as they take on India at Edgbaston on Tuesday. Their net run-rate, which is marginally superior to that of Pakistan, will help them in case of a tie in the points table if each of the remaining results go in their favour.

Fizzs chance to make impact in make or break contest

Amid the run-fest, the pacers made their presence felt in this World Cup with left-arm pacers looking more potent than anyone else. Australias Mitchell Starc has been leading the pack with 24 scalps in eight matches, a staggering three wickets per match, while the likes of Mohammad Amir, Trent Boult are not far away. Amir and Boult so far claimed 16 and 13 wickets respectively to put them in fourth and sixth place, meaning three left-arm pacers in the top six bowling list. Indias Jasprit Bumrah, another southpaw in the crickets biggest carnival, didnt take that much wickets but remained almost unplayable so far. They not only took wickets but also curbed the batsmens aggression, which was reflected in their economy rate also. Neither of them conceded more than five runs per over. While the left-arm pacers scripted their sides victory in every match, the scenario is not same in the case of Bangladesh, who also have blessed with an enormously talented left-arm pacer in Mustafizur Rahman. The Fizz, as he is adorably called, so far took 10 wickets in six matches but never had he looked comfortable in this World Cup. Though he was successful in death overs, with the new ball, he looked pale. His ordinary performance with the new ball is the reason that Bangladesh werent successful in first 10 overs. Only once in their six matches in the ongoing World Cup in the match against New Zealand on June 5 have Bangladesh taken more than one wicket in the first 10 overs. Bangladesh will take on India in their do or die match on Tuesday. With Bangladeshs World Cup is on the line, they couldnt afford to allow India survive first 10 overs. Indias batting strength lies in their top three batsmen-Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli. And if they are taken out early, India looks vulnerable, a thing that was proved time and again in the past. However the proved template is: If Indias openers can survive first 10 overs, they can cause havoc on opponents. So its the time for Mustafizur Rahman to pull up the socks and lead the fast bowling pack. He can draw inspiration from his debut series against India, in which he took 13 wickets from three games to help Bangladesh win their first bilateral series against the sub-continent giants in 2015. Can he emulate that performance? But the problem is Mustafizur then took only two wickets in three matches against India in ODIs. But those two wickets came in the last match he played against India in Asia Cup in 2018. He took 2-38 to push India back-foot even though India eventually won the game. Even in the World Cup warm-up game, Mustafizur bowled extremely well with the new ball against India. Mustafizurs last two performances against India actually gave a ray of hope that he could do something to keep Bangladesh in the World Cup semifinal race. The main challenge will be that they are going face a strong Indian batting. If they cant get rid of Rohit Sharma early, he might play a big innings, said Bangladeshs inaugural Test head coach Sarwar Imran. If we cant get early wickets against India, they will definitely score big. We cant depend on Shakib Al Hasan all the time, pace bowlers must also come forward. So, its very important to take early wickets against India otherwise the match go in their favor. Imran believes Mustafizur Rahman has to take the bulk of responsibility as captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza is unable to pull the string like the past. In bowling, partnership will be needed. If one bowler bowls well but another is giving away runs then it will difficult to create pressure, he said. Partnership is of course important but I must say, its not just for two overs, any bowler who comes into ball will have to maintain it, he said. The thing is we dont have any bowler now to bowl with the new ball. The service we were getting from Mashrafe we are not getting it now, so Mustafizur would have to lead the way, he concluded. Amidst all the buzz surrounding around England and Pakistan to seal one of the four spots in the top four, Bangladesh realize that they too have an outside chance and are quietly preparing themselves as they take on India at Edgbaston on Tuesday. Their net run-rate, which is marginally superior to that of Pakistan, will help them in case of a tie in the points table if each of the remaining results go in their favour.