'Mustafizur's confidence is coming back'

Bangladesh assistant coach Richard Halsall praised left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman’s performance in the first match against Zimbabwe in the tri-nation ODI series Monday. Mustafizur returned to the squad after recovering from ankle injury that he incurred in South Africa just the before the three-ODI series in October last year. Later, Mustafizur played a few games in BPL 5 to get back to his rhythm. He bowled 10 overs and conceded only 29 runs, picking up two wickets against Zimbabwe at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. The way Mustafizur bowled with variation was a good scene to watch from a Bangladeshi point of view as the left-armer used many cutters. The pitch also supported Mustafizur to bowl those slower deliveries in order to dodge the batsmen. Halsall heaped praise on Mustafizur and informed that the paceman is working really hard in training to get back to his best.

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“If you look at elite baseball, lots of their pitchers have a similar injury. Pitchers throw at 90mph, but it takes them two years to throw at 90mph. I think Mustafizur is 18 months since his injury. He bowled the cutters and his pace is creeping back up to 85mph. His cutter is brilliant as ever. His top-end is going up a mile an hour every week. It makes the cutter more effective. His confidence is coming back,” said Halsall. “What is great to see is how hard he is working. He is constantly working at his skills. To see someone who is in love with his skill and passion, it is fantastic for everyone to see. We are used to seeing Tamim [Iqbal] and Mushfiqur [Rahim] in the nets, but to see a bowler behaving as he does in every training session, is very encouraging,” he added. Bangladesh will play their next match against Sri Lanka Friday.