Sharjah to Delhi: Mustafizur Rahman travels 2,100km to play two matches in two days

Dubai: Two matches, two countries, two venues, two days — and two very different results. Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman has been on a whirlwind tour, juggling commitments for both country and franchise.

On Saturday, the left-arm seamer bagged 2 for 17 to help Bangladesh seal a 27-run win over UAE in the opening T20I in Sharjah. By Sunday, he was in Delhi, rushing in as a replacement for the departing Mitchell Starc in the IPL, travelling 2,100km to complete his commitments. The quick turnaround — and a minor communication glitch over his clearance — created a stir, but not much else; Mustafizur’s presence couldn’t prevent Gujarat Titans from comfortably chasing down a target against his IPL team.

Back in Sharjah, Bangladesh will now have to manage without him for Monday’s decider.

The star of Saturday’s win was Parvez Hossain Emon, who hammered a 53-ball century — only the second by a Bangladeshi in T20Is after Tamim Iqbal’s 103 not out in 2016. His innings included nine sixes, a national record, as Bangladesh posted 191 for 7.

UAE’s chase saw early fireworks from Muhammad Waseem and Rahul Chopra before a blazing cameo from Asif Khan threatened to turn the match. But a middle-order collapse derailed their progress.

Chasing 192, UAE were well-placed at 103 for 2 in the 12th over when Asif walked in. He smashed 42 off just 21 balls, taking spinner Mahedi Hasan for three sixes in one over and dominating a short stand that gave Bangladesh a scare.

But wickets kept falling at the other end. Chopra and Dhruv Parashar were dismissed in quick succession, and Asif’s exit in the penultimate over signalled the end of the fight. UAE were eventually bowled out for 164.

UAE’s chase began brightly, with Waseem launching Mahedi’s first ball for six. The opener raced to a 32-ball fifty, targeting the spinners with sweeps and slog-sweeps. Chopra chipped in with scoops and drives, keeping Bangladesh’s attack under pressure.

However, the introduction of Mustafizur in the middle overs tightened things up. The veteran’s clever variations once again made the difference, just before he flew out for IPL duty.

Bangladesh will be without their go-to death bowler in Monday’s series finale, while UAE will take confidence from how close they ran the visitors. With Parvez in red-hot form and UAE’s batters showing plenty of intent, Sharjah could be in for another high-scoring, unpredictable finish — just without the whirlwind named Mustafizur.