Agency :
Former Indian cricketer Parthiv Patel lauded cutter master Mustafizur Rahman, stating that he has evolved as a ‘smart bowler’ over the years.
The left-arm pacer, Mustafiz took a crucial wicket conceding only 12 runs in his 4 overs against the Netherlands in their third group stage match which helped the side to win by 25 runs.
Mustafiz got off to the tournament on a positive note taking three wickets against Sri Lanka, however, he remained wicketless against South Africa but his spell was very handy for the Tigers.
Patel mentioned that there has been a lot of improvement in his performance and underlined the difference in pace between his fast deliveries and slower ones compared to when he played in 2016-17.
“He bowled well; you can see a lot of improvement in his bowling. I think that when he played in 2016-17, his fast deliveries were 140-145 per hour. When he hit the slower ones, they were 110 or 115, a big difference in pace,”
“In the last three years, his fast deliveries were clocking at 130-135 km/h, while the slower ones were consistently at 115-120. Due to the variation in his pace, he couldn’t easily fool the batsmen. Now, with his experience and playing for Chennai, he is using the crease well, utilizing the angle very effectively, and has also learned to understand the pitch. He has become a smart bowler,” he added.
Parthiv further detailed how Mustafiz proved his smartness while playing at the Nassau International County Cricket Stadium.
“The great example of that is how he bowled in New York. He is the only bowler who did not try to bowl Yorkers. We have seen many bowlers like Harris Rauf, Arshdeep trying to bowl Yorkers, but he did not. Against South Africa, in the 18th over, he probably gave away only 1 run,” he added.