AFG vs BAN 2025: Bangladesh's spin bowling coach urges batters 'to play the ball, not the bowler'

Bangladesh's spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed has provided a reminder to his batters to emphasise on playing the ball on its merit and not on the reputation of the bowler. Bangladesh's batting unit has  been underwhelming in both the ODIs of the three-match series against Afghanistan so far. 

Mushtaq's comments came after Bangladesh were spun around by Rashid Khan in both ODIs, with the wily spinner returning with figures of 3/38 in 10 overs in the first ODI and 5/17 in 8.3 overs in the second. Mushtaq was critical of the batting department.

"I think they are playing Rashid, not the ball. He is not a big spinner of the ball. But he is very experienced. He is a wicket-taker. His line and length is very consistent. I think we have to sometimes play the ball, not the bowler. We have to improve quickly," Mushtaq was quoted  as saying by Cricbuzz.

Mushtaq suggested that the most effective solution for playing match-winners like Rashid is to be dynamic and not let him settle into a rhythm.

"Rashid has been very successful for many, many years for Afghanistan, but [at the] same time, as a Bangladeshi batting unit, we should know how to play the ball, not the bowler. Obviously, against spinners like Rashid and all, [who are] very mature and experienced cricketers in those conditions, we have to be very proactive to playing those kind of spinners very quickly," he added.

Bangladesh headed into the ODI leg of the tour with a 3-0 win in the T20I series. However, the two ODIs so far have been quite disappointing, especially from the batting front. The Tigers lost the first ODI by five wickets and went down in the subsequent one by 81 runs.

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The final match of the white-ball series will be played in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, October 14. The Mehidy Hasan Miraz-led unit will look to conclude on a high before their limited-overs series against West Indies at home.