We Should Not Weigh Mustafizur Down With Expectations, He Is Bangladesh’s Future, Says Mashrafe Mortaza

Apr 25, 2017 at 5:43 PM

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We Should Not Weigh Mustafizur Down With Expectations, He Is Bangladesh’s Future, Says Mashrafe Mortaza

As the time passes away, every puzzle gets decoded. When Mustafizur Rahman made his debut in 2015, the cricketing world witnessed sheer brilliance from the teenaged bowler. His rubbery wrists and accuracy bamboozled the best in the business. He was a new mystery bowler on the block.

However, his effectiveness slowly seems to be wearing out, as the curious cricketing brains and technology worked their way out to play him out more efficiently without falling victim to his wizardry. Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza has realised this fact and has urged him to work harder to stay ahead in the game.

“What he got in the early stage of his career was extraordinary so what is happening to him now is what is supposed to happen to any bowler,” Mashrafe said before Bangladesh’s departure to England for a preparatory camp ahead of their Champions Trophy campaign.

Mustafizur Rahman was on everyone’s mind when he marked his entry. He took back to back five-wicket haul in his first two ODI games and later ended 2015 with 26 wicket in just nine matches. His top performances came against top ODI nations like South Africa, Pakistan, and India.

But off late, managing Mustafizur’s workload has become a headache for the BCB. The left-arm fast bowler has succumbed to injuries briefly a couple of times; the biggest one being the shoulder injury which required him to undergo a surgery.

Since making his comeback from the injury, Mustafizur hasn’t performed to his best. The tour of Sri Lanka was fruitful but fans expected a bit more from him. In the IPL 2017 as well, the 21-year-old faced a little downtime. In his only appearance for Sunrisers Hyderabad, he conceded 34 runs in 2.4 overs. David Warner, the SRH skipper, has not turned to him since that game.

“It is unbelievable that he got so many wickets in the first few games of his international career. Now he has to work hard to take wickets. Batsmen are reading him better. Every team has top-quality computer analysts who find out his strengths and weaknesses.

“Injuries have also bothered him, and he has just recovered from the latest injury a few months ago. He is only 19 or 20 [21]. So with everything in consideration, he is having a tough time of late. So we also shouldn’t put him under pressure. He has already proved that he is Bangladesh’s future. If we can keep him relaxed by not weighing him down with expectations, he can be a wonderful asset for us in the next ten years.”

While the team is set to depart to England and engage in preparations, Mustafizur was scheduled to join late on May 4. This will be the first time he will be playing in those conditions. An opportunity with Essex had come knocking his doors but ankle trouble did not allow him to make the trip.

The Champions Trophy will be a huge challenge for him and will truly test him. Bangladesh will also be hoping for him to be in a good rhythm.

Mashrafe said that the tournament will be a difficult one for the team, as they are placed in the same group as hosts England, Australia and New Zealand.

He said that the preparatory camp in Sussex does not guarantee success but will give the players a better understanding of the local pitches and overhead conditions.

“Realistically, it is going to be a difficult tour,” Mashrafe said. “The Champions Trophy won’t be easy when you look at our opposition. We have defeated England in that condition. We beat Australia in Cardiff once and, although these are history, I think it is still possible. A lot will depend on how we prepare our mentality.

“The camp will give us an inkling about the pitches. Weather conditions change quickly in the early part of the English summer. We had a good World Cup after an early camp in Australia in 2015 but the same didn’t pan out in 2016 when we prepared for the New Zealand tour.”

One area Mashrafe is concerned about is the team’s fatigue towards the end of a long tour. Given that the Champions Trophy falls in the latter half of their tour, the team will have to devise ways to avoid falling into that mental hole.

“This is not the first time we are on such a long tour,” Mashrafe said. “But we do have that problem of becoming fatigued at the end of such tours. History tells us that we have a really bad session after a good one in the latter part of a tour.

“Maybe in Australia [during the World Cup] we didn’t feel too bad as we were always in the hunt. Winning in the early stage could help us fight fatigue, which we can start in Ireland. It is important to keep everyone together, in our group of 17-18 players, especially those who won’t go through a good time in the early stages. Keeping them like a family.”

Bangladesh will leave for the Sussex camp on April 26. Their tri-nation series, against Ireland and New Zealand, will be played between May 12 and 24, after which they will return to London for the final part of their tour.

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