In the first T20I against Pakistan, “Mustafizur Rahman” rewrote the record books with his miserly bowling.
After “Taskin Ahmed” bowled the second over, noticeable boot marks appeared on the pitch, clearly signaling extra assistance for the bowlers. “Mustafizur” made excellent use of these conditions and, in the process, set a new record for the most economical bowling by a Bangladeshi bowler.
At Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Sunday, “Mustafizur” toyed with the Pakistani batsmen using his slower balls, cutters, and pace variations. He conceded just 6 runs in 4 overs while taking 2 crucial wickets.
This is now the record for the fewest runs conceded by a Bangladeshi bowler bowling a full quota in international T20 cricket.
Interestingly, “Mustafizur” also held the previous record. Last year during the T20 World Cup, he took 3 wickets for just 7 runs in 4 overs against Nepal, including one maiden. In that same match, “Tanzim Hasan” impressed with 4 wickets for 7 runs in 4 overs, including two maidens.
Also in May that year, leg-spinner “Rishad Hossain” took 1 wicket for 7 runs including one maiden over against the USA.
This season, “Mustafizur” has now bowled four matches where he has conceded fewer than 10 runs in his full 4 overs. No other bowler from ICC full-member nations has achieved four such economical spells in T20 internationals.
Meanwhile, “Shakib Al Hasan,” “Bhuvneshwar Kumar,” and “Imad Wasim” have each bowled three matches conceding fewer than 10 runs.
Coming into the attack at the end of the powerplay, “Mustafizur” gave away just a single run off the first ball and then kept the batsmen under strict control, conceding no runs in the next five balls. On the fifth ball, looking for a big hit, “Khushdil Shah” was caught at deep third man by “Hasan Nawaz.”
In the 12th over, “Litton Kumar Das” brought him back into the attack. This time, he gave away 2 runs. His slower balls and cutters left “Khushdil Shah” helpless. The over also saw a mix-up resulting in a run-out for “Fakhar Zaman.”
“Mustafizur” returned again in the death overs. In the 17th over’s second ball, he dismissed “Khushdil.” He nearly got “Faheem Ashraf” on the very next delivery but missed out as “Litton” did not take a review. He conceded just 2 runs in that over as well.
Even in the 19th over, “Mustafizur” bowled brilliantly, conceding only 1 run and bowling 18 dot balls in total during the innings, effectively bottling up the opposition.
Thanks to his record-breaking bowling, Bangladesh dismissed Pakistan all out for the first time in T20 internationals. Pakistan lost three wickets in three balls including a run-out in the last over and finished on 110 runs.
“Fakhar Zaman,” who was given two lives, top-scored with 44 runs. “Abbas Afridi” played a late cameo, hitting three sixes in 24 balls to score 22.
Ironically, “Taskin Ahmed,” who dropped “Fakhar’s” catch in the first over, ended with 3 wickets for 22 runs.
