Mushy due for a biggie

Smart flicks on the leg, cute little dabs for a single or two, then Bang! The ball sails towards deep mid-wicket, fielder watches helplessly as the crowd go berserk…a beautifully timed shot, a mere flick of the wrists, effortless, elevation and distance, Mushy on a roll! That’s the Mushfiqur Rahim Bangladeshi fans have been waiting for, the pocket-battleship who can turn a match on a dime with his high-octane batting.

During clutch situations, Mushy used to take on the bowlers and deliver the goods more often than not. Sadly, an innings of real substance in T20I has evaded Mushy since April 1, 2014. Mushfiqur is going through a lean patch in 20-over cricket, and he hopes he will come good on February 28, during the fifth match of Asia Cup 2016 against Sri Lanka at Mirpur. “A big inning is waiting around the corner, may that day be today. In Sha Allah!” Mushfiqur Rahim said in his Facebook post with a photo taken during a net session.

In his last ten T20I innings, Mushfiqur has scored 183 runs. His best score during this period was 47 in 36 balls against Australia at Dhaka on April 1, 2014. Musfiqur’s career stats in T20I do not inspire confidence. In 47 matches, he averages 19.36 at the strike-rate of 115. His highest T20I score was 50 against New Zealand on November 6, 2013.

It has been too long since Mushfiqur Rahim played an innings of substance in T20Is for Bangladesh. During the first match of the Asia Cup 2016 against India, Mushy came to bat at six. At that position, Mushfiqur is basically wasted as he can throw his bat for an over or two at the most. When the top-order fires, he may not get a chance to bat at all!

If Mushy wants to entertain his fans and followers with his bat, he needs to be promoted up the order against Sri Lanka…lets’ keep our fingers crossed for a biggie from Mushy today!