Staying out of the game is like punishment for me: Mustafizur Rahman

Mustafizur Rahman burst on the scene after he rattled India’s star-studded batting lineup during a bilateral ODI series in Bangladesh. However, the 24-year-old pacer hasn’t quite been able to substantiate the promise for a longer period of time, especially in Test cricket. Since his debut in 2015, the left-armer has only played 13 Tests and picked up 28 wickets.

He last played the format against New Zealand in March 2019 and missed out on the series against India and Pakistan. Mustafizur was Bangladesh’s strike bowler in the 2019 World Cup, though the team couldn’t go beyond the league stage. The speedster recently said that staying out of the national team, irrespective of the format, is equivalent to a punishment for him.

I’m trying to play well in Test cricket: Mustafizur Rahman

The Satkhira-born understands that he needs to perform well in Test cricket going forward. “I like to play all kinds of cricket. I feel bad when I’m out of the team whether it’s an ODI or Test because I’m used to playing. Staying out of the game is like a punishment for me. I’m trying to play well in Test,” Mustafizur was quoted as saying in Cricfrenzy.

Mustafizur said he has been working on bowling with the new ball along with Otis Gibson, the Tigers’ bowling coach. Gibson, who’s also a former West Indies fast bowler, was appointed for the role back in January this year.

However, he is a tad disappointed for the fact that he had taken a backward step owing to the coronavirus outbreak across the world. He feels that he needs to practice the art from the beginning once the situation normalises.

“Before Gibson’s arrival, I was trying to figure out how to bowl with the new bowl, how to be successful. I worked for a while after Gibson came. I think I have come a long way. Due to corona, I went backward. I have to practice again and bring it again,” he added.

Mustafizur was one of the star performers for the Rangpur Rangers in the 2019-20 Bangabandhu BPL. However, he was again taken for runs in the T20I series against Pakistan earlier this year.