Bangladesh ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza has informed that he is trying to bowl a ‘semi cross’ delivery to add variety in his bowling.
The limited overs captain had an amazing time with the ball in the recently concluded Dhaka Premier League (DPL) and he also ended up as the leading wicket taker with 39 wickets under his belt which also helped his side Abahani to clinch the trophy.
To concentrate fully on his bowling, the veteran even opted not to lead the side and was seen giving advice whenever needed to skipper Nasir Hossain.
In a recent interview with a reporter, Mashrafe explained that he is trying to bowl in a semi-cross seam position much like England’s Stuart Broad.
“I have tried to bowl in a semi-cross seam position much like England’s Stuart Broad. I worked with my wrist position like the way I always do. But for me the focal point was to learn some new tricks that would help me get a better result in flat wickets,” he said.
Few days ago Mashrafe also said that day by day the pitches are getting more batting friendly and therefore, it was about time to think about adding varieties in bowling.
“It was a flat wicket during the Champions Trophy and it would be the same in the next World Cup so felt that something new should be tried. . I could grip the ball with seam-up and cross seam but this time I opted to see how it goes with semi-cross seam,” Mashrafe said.
The ODI captain also believes that if the length of the ball is okay, one can get away unless it is a bad day.
“I am a firm believer that if your length is ok you can get away unless it is a bad day. After my pace got reduced all I did was concentrate on the length and now that has become one of my area of strength. I’m getting confident with the new grip that I have tried and hopefully will execute it during the international matches,” he concluded.
After Mashrafe retired from the T20 format, the 34-year old bowler is now only seen in the shorter format of the game and as Bangladesh didn’t play any ODI series recently, the ODI skipper got a huge break. But he will be excited to try his new weapon in the next series which might take place in June against Afghanistan.
