Mustafizur Rahman, Bangladesh’s left-arm pace bowler is starting to run out of time. The recently-concluded three-match series against India was another occasion of his performance falling short of expectations. When we see the shadow of the bowler wherein 2015 he debuted and could single-handedly achieve wins for Bangladesh.
The player, who is famous for bowling cutters, struggled even in the series opener in Delhi. The sluggish wicket there was perfect for his skill set. But in the match, he managed to bowl only two overs. In the next couple of matches, Mustafizur bowled more overs with poor returns. He ended his three-match series without any wicket. With an economy rate of 9.51, he gave 92 runs from 9.4 overs.
And this Indian tour isn’t a one-off. He has been struggling for a while. He has picked only nine wickets in 33.4 overs, at an economy rate of 9.35 conceding 315 runs.
Bangladesh head coach Domingo had said ahead of the series decider against India, “He is a quality bowler. He is a match-winner and our most experienced bowler. We know that a big performance is just around the corner. Bowlers are under pressure in this format, particularly with a wet ball against top-quality batters on good wickets.”
Captain Mahmudullah echoed the same sentiment after Bangladesh’s 30-run loss against India, where Mustafizur gave away 42 runs in his four overs. “I think in every cricketer’s life there comes a time when he fails to perform in 3, 4 or 5 games. But I think he is a champion bowler, and we expect more from him.”
“He could not perform according to our expectations. But we shouldn’t rethink anything about him. We should all support him in times of struggle. And the way he is practicing, I think he is just one match away from his best.
Mustafizur is bowling too short and that is a major reason behind his continuous below-par performances, according to former Indian left-arm pace bowler Irfan Pathan.
“I believe that his length just needs to be fuller,” Pathan analyzed. “If you look at his career, mostly he got his wickets with fuller deliveries because that is where his variation comes in handy.”
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