Predictable Mustafizur needs to rethink his bowling - Habibul Bashar

[Ulquiorra]

 

Mustafizur finished the three-match T20I series against India without any wicket, giving away 92 runs from 9.4 overs. © Getty

Bangladesh selector Habibul Bashar, on Thursday (December 12), expressed great concern over the form of Mustafizur Rahman - the way he is becoming too predictable - and implored the left-armer to come up with new ideas for getting his old rhythm back.

Mustafizur, who looked good in the first couple of overs in his team's BPL opener, was demolished by Cumilla Warriors skipper Danus Shanaka in the death as he hit him for four sixes in an over that took the game away from Rangpur Rangers.

Mustafizur is hardly meeting expectations on the international front either, as seen in the recently-concluded three-match T20I series against India. He ended the three-match series without any wicket, giving away 92 runs from 9.4 overs with an economy rate of 9.51.

And that India tour wasn't a one-off. He's been struggling for a while. In his last 10 T20Is, he's picked only nine wickets in 33.4 overs, conceding 315 runs at an economy rate of 9.35.

According to Bashar, Mustafizur has lost the grip on his yorker game, something he used to master earlier.

"It is a concern because we are missing the Mustafizur (we know) for the past one year," Bashar told reporters at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. "There is no yorker in Mustafizur's bowling while he had wonderful yorkers before.

"Slower deliveries are still there while his pace is also increasing. Now he is bowling in good pace. (But) yorker is missing. He is becoming predictable. This is my concern. Batsmen are able to predict what he is going to do."

Bashar also added that it was high time for the left-arm pace bowler to go back to the drawing board and chart out a comeback plan. "I think he needs to rethink about his bowling. It's high time for him to go for plan B, since for batsmen he is now easy to read," Bashar said.

"A cricketer should think how he can do well when he becomes predictable to the batsmen. If we look at yesterday's match, he bowled really well in the first two overs but in the last two overs, he was completely predictable. In T20, Shanaka is very good batsman but Mustafizur didn't try anything different. He was bowling in same length and conceded six after six to Shanaka," he said, adding that his wicket-taking ability won't come good for Bangladesh if he continues leaking runs in such manner.

"He still is getting wickets and even claimed five wickets in some matches. He is Bangladesh's highest wicket-taker in the last one year but he was expensive, especially in the death overs. He is considered a special bowler for Bangladesh. If he continues leaking runs in such manner, it creates pressure on others. From what we have seen, his tendency to leak runs puts adverse impact on the team, even though he took wickets," he said adding that the left-arm pace bowler cannot take his place granted in the national team.

"At the end, the performance matters. Like other people, I also believe he is a special bowler but he now would have to prove it again,'' he concluded.