‘Fizz’ to find rhythm in Asia Cup: Walsh
Bangladesh cricket team bowling coach Courtney Walsh hopes that pacer Mustafizur Rahman will gain his peak form in the upcoming six-nation Asia Cup, which will begin in Dubai on 15 September.
“He [Mustafiz] has very special skills. We need to have him around to give us a chance to do well. I think he will always give you the edge. We are hoping he can reach his peak during the Asia Cup,” said Walsh.
The injury-prone cutter master has been in and out of action lately. He sustained shoulder and ankle injuries in 2017, and earlier this year he injured his left toe while playing for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.
“He is not where he’d like to be. He did well in the West Indies when he joined us. If, those injuries stay behind him, he will only get better,” Walsh added.
The Fizz subsequently missed the national side’s away series against Afghanistan in June, and the two-Test series in the Caribbean thereafter. He made his return in the limited-overs leg of the series, though, and recently revealed he had recovered fully, but needed to “find better rhythm”.
“I haven’t had a chance (to work with him) due to his injuries, but I am hoping during the Asia Cup, we can do some work. He is coming with some confidence. Hopefully, he will get a lot fitter. He keeps getting slight injuries.”
Walsh added that he was keen on fine-tuning Fizz’s considerable skill set. “I don’t think his workload needs to be managed. He is bowling pretty well. I would like to do more skill work with him.”
Walsh came up with these comments a day before the Bangladesh cricket team left for the UAE on Sunday.
Two times Asia Cup finalists Bangladesh placed in Group ‘B’ alongside Sri Lanka and Afghanistan for the group campaign and will play Sri Lanka in the tournament opener on 15 September in Dubai before taking on Afghanistan on 20 September in Abu Dhabi.
However, Group ‘A’ comprises the defending champions India, Pakistan and the winner of the Asia Cup Qualifier 2018 Hong Kong.
