Birmingham: Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman is hoping his off-cutters, which are not working in England as much they used to at home, come good against India in the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final on Thursday.
According to a report in Bangladesh newspaper Daily Star on Tuesday, the 21-year old left-arm fast bowler said he is ruffled a bit by the fact that his famed off-cutters are not doing it and that he is working hard on it.
It was Mustafizur’s off-cutters that did the trick against India two years back when he bagged five-wicket hauls in two consecutive matches rattling the Indian batting order.
Rahman has so far got only one wicket from three matches in the Champions Trophy.
At home in Dhaka, excitement is reaching a crescendo as fans have started planning where they will catch the action on Thursday and the city is also decking up for that.
Bangladesh, led by Mashrafe Mortaza, defied all the odds to make it to the last-four stage after beating New Zealand and then seeing England get past Australia in Group A.
Former captain Gazi Ashraf says mental preparation is key.
“I feel mentally they need to be ready. That is the key against India. This is their best chance at glory and I hope a great match will be on show. I really hope Bangladesh come out winners showing great mental strength,” Ashraf told Bangladesh’s vernacular daily Jugantor.
India and Bangladesh have fought bitter battles in the past and the latter have been on the losing side on two occasions in ICC events.
If the 2015 World Cup quarter-final in Melbourne was a lopsided affair as India won by a whopping 109 runs, it was the 2016 T20 World Cup loss by just one run, which still hurts.
Habibul Bashar, one of Bangladesh’s greatest Test batsmen and one who skippered the side to their maiden Test win back in 2004, said he predicted the Tigers would play the semi-final — and that the trophy is within their grasp.
“We played brilliant cricket against New Zealand. The trophy is not far away now. At the start of the tournament, I had said we will play the semis. We have to give our best in the next two matches. I dream of Bangladesh playing the final.”
Former captain Mohammad Ashraful added it is no surprise Bangladesh are in the semi-finals as they have been playing good cricket over the last two-and-a-half years.
“The way we have been playing in the last two years, it is but normal that we will play the semi-final. I hope we make it to the final.”
This is Bangladesh’s maiden semi-final in an ICC event.
Bangladesh have so far rode their experienced players’ performances to book a semi-final berth albeit some assistance from rain in the game against Australia where they were down in the dumps when the skies opened up and the points were split.
Nonetheless, the likes of Tamim Iqbal, who hit a century and followed it up with a 95 in the first two games of the tournament, and Mushfiqur Rahim, who scored a fifty against England, helped the team punch above their weight.
To cap things off, Shakib Al Hassan and Mahmudulah Riyad’s magnificent hundreds in a 224-run fifth-wicket stand that won the game against more-fancied New Zealand after being 33/4 chasing 266 to win showed their mettle.
