Test snub is positive; onus on me to improve, admits Mustafizur Rahman
Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman has said that he views missing out on a national red-ball contract as a blessing in disguise as it proves the onus is on him to improve to be counted in the same league as his teammates. Mustafizur also revealed that he has been working on bowling a good inswinger.
Once considered the country's most talented pace bowler across formats, Mustafizur was dealt a reality check when he was axed from the Test contract list. The left-armer last played a Test in March 2019, away to New Zealand, and has since struggled to make it into Bangladesh's playing XI. In the white-ball category, he was demoted to B category, but Mustafizur is not down and out.
"It's good for me because now I've understood that I need to improve as I will not be able to make it in the team with what I have. Now I will try to improve so that I can take my bowling to the next level and so that I can play in all formats. I can make a comeback in the Test team only if my hands start to work better," Mustafizur said, reported Cricbuzz.
The 24-year-old readily admitted that he has failed to find success on foreign soil largely because he does not get the help that he receives on home pitches. He also revealed that he has lost confidence in his trademark yorker due to his indifferent form.
"The ball grips well on home wickets but outside it is not the same while the off-cutter changes its direction quite well at home but that is not the case elsewhere. My yorker is not the same like I used to deliver and I don't have that confidence , but I'm trying. Now, there will always be ups and downs in cricket, you have to accept that," he said.
In a desperate attempt to improve his bowling skills, Mustafizur came out to the academy premises all alone while his teammates exercise social distancing due to the Coronavirus pandemic. ‘The Fizz’ also spoke about how he was focusing on bringing the ball into the batsman — something he tried to implement during the ODIs against Zimbabwe.
"Especially in the first 10 overs of the ODIs, I tried to get the ball into the batsman and though it was not that huge but a couple of deliveries were very good. It won't happen in one day. I worked for two weeks and hopefully will get better day by day,” Mustafizur added.