Lately, there has been talk about how Mustafizur Rahman’s performance has not been as effective as it was prior to his shoulder surgery.
The youngster caught the world’s attention when he ran through a powerful Indian batting line-up in 2015 and he followed that with a brilliant campaign in the Indian Premier League, which got him the Emerging Player award. He also received accolades from the International Cricket Council.
However, since his surgery for a shoulder injury in August 2016 the left-arm pacer has not been nearly as effective. Batsmen have been reading him with a lot more ease, especially in the shortest format of the game.
It is not as if Mustafizur is completely down and out though. He bowled magnificently against Sri Lanka in the recently-concluded Test series and had a significant role behind Bangladesh’s win in the second Test, the country’s 100th.
Still, he has struggled to find a place in the playing eleven for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the ongoing IPL.
Responding to a question regarding Mustafizur’s form, Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza told a press conference at Mirpur that he was not at all worried.
“Look, what’s happening to Mustafizur right now is normal. What happened earlier was abnormal. It’s unbelievable when a bowler gets 30-odd wickets in his first five games. Now he has to work harder to get his wickets. There are many good analysts in the world who have analysed his strong points.
“He is just recovering from an injury and he is around 19 or 20. The situation that he is in right now is difficult. And if we keep pressurising him, it will become even more difficult,” explained Mashrafe.
“He has proved his worth to Bangladesh. I feel that we shouldn’t expect the unthinkable from him all the time. If we have practical expectations, then I am sure he will go on to play for Bangladesh for more than 10 years,” he added.
The left-arm bowler will return to Bangladesh in the first week of May and then catch a flight to Sussex to join the team in their conditioning camp.
Source: The Daily Star
