Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Mustafizur Rahman was at his brilliant best on Thursday, guiding Bangladesh to a 2-1 ODI series win over New Zealand. With the series level at 1-1, he delivered match-winning figures of 9-2-43-5, as the Tigers secured a 55-run victory at the Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium in Chattogram.
At this stage, Mustafizur was expected to feature in the IPL for Kolkata Knight Riders after being bought for Rs 9.20 crore in last season’s mini auction. However, he was later released following a BCCI directive, which eventually led to Bangladesh pulling out of the Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
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On April 23, Mustafizur Rahman tore through the Black Caps, helping Bangladesh bowl them out for 210 while defending 265. In the process, he equalled Wasim Akram on the list of most five-wicket hauls by left-arm pacers in ODIs. Mustafizur, Akram and Trent Boult are now joint second with six such hauls each. Mitchell Starc tops the chart with nine from 130 matches.
MOST FIVE-WICKET HAULS BY LEFT-ARM PACERS IN ODIS
- Mitchell Starc (Australia) – 9 from 130 matches
- Trent Boult (New Zealand) – 6 from 114 matches
- Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh) – 6 from 120 matches
- Wasim Akram (Pakistan) – 6 from 356 matches
MUSTAFIZUR DISMANTLES NEW ZEALAND
From the outset, Mustafizur relied on tight lines and subtle seam movement, striking early by dismissing Henry Nicholls with a sharp short delivery that induced a top edge. His exceptional use of slower balls and cutters stood out throughout the spell.
Mustafizur consistently deceived batters like Nick Kelly and Dean Foxcroft, varying pace and length to disrupt their rhythm. The dismissal of the well-set Kelly highlighted his cricketing intelligence, spotting movement across the crease and responding with a wider, slower delivery that forced a mistimed shot.
In the middle overs, he tightened the screws further, mixing yorkers with off-cutters and back-of-a-length deliveries that gripped off the surface. His spell peaked in the death overs, combining accuracy with composure to remove key batters like Nathan Smith and Jayden Lennox.
The highlight was his fifth wicket, clean bowling William O’Rourke with a full, straight delivery. Despite conceding a couple of late sixes, Mustafizur had already done enough damage to put Bangladesh firmly in command.
– Ends
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
