Mustafizur Rahman may not have been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but the Satkhira-born teenager is certainly gifted with a golden arm. Breaking and making records is as easy as pie for the 19-year old who became the only cricketer in history to bag the man-of-the-match awards on both one-day international and Test debut.
There are exactly 100 players who have won a MoM award on their Test or ODI debut but Mustafiz is the only player to have won both. He was named the player-of-the-match in the rain-hit first Test against South Africa at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium yesterday for his four-wicket haul in the first innings (4-37).
Last month on his ODI debut in Mirpur, Mustafiz amazed the world with a match-winning five-for to lead Bangladesh to a 79-run victory against India at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. His crucial inputs as a bowler earned him a Test cap after just six ODIs and three Twenty20Is, and he answered the call in his own fashion – by initiating important breakthroughs at critical junctures of a match.
South Africa were cruising at 173-3 in 59 overs when the “off-cutter” specialist turned the tables upside down. In the space of the next four balls, the visitors had lost three of their dependable names which eventually allowed Bangladesh to bowl out their opponents for the first time inside a day and take control of the match.
Amla had a go at an outgoing delivery and edged it to Liton Kumar Das to start the fall before JP Duminy was rapped in front for a golden duck of what seemed to be a quicker delivery from Mustafiz. Although Quinton de Kock kept the hat-trick ball, a yorker, out he failed to deal with the fourth ball of the 60th over as his off-stump went flying back to give the teenage pacer the sight of satisfaction. His fourth victim was Temba Bavuma, who made a valuable 54.
