Mustafizur: To extend your career you’ll need to make choices

Mustafizur Rahman, Bangladesh fast bowler, has intimated that he may not return to red-ball cricket because he believes he needs to pick and choose between different formats in order to extend his career.

On Wednesday, a foreign sports website reported that the BCB plans to speak with Mustafizur about his plans for red-ball cricket, since the board still wants him to play.

When the BCB decided to establish format-based contracts in 2021, Mustafizur opted out of the Test contract.

Mustafizur has now stated that he would clarify his views on his future as a red-ball player.

“If Bangladesh Cricket Board wants to know, I will explain my view on playing Test cricket.”

“My elders have spoken with the BCB president (about playing and not playing certain formats), and I will also speak with the board president… despite the fact that he is well aware of the situation.”

Mustafizur was cited in the Bengali newspaper on Thursday as saying, “BCB never pushed me to play Test cricket, and I don’t have a red-ball contract.”

“It’s critical for me to maintain my health.  Staying fit is crucial if I want to give my services to the Bangladesh squad for a long period, and I believe the best method to keep fit is to choose between three formats.”

“I choose my format based on my previous success, and my success in T20s and ODIs is higher (compared to Test cricket), which is why I am concentrating on these two formats.”

“Many cricketers around the world are opting for formats to extend their careers. A team cannot be built around a single player,” he explained.

Mustafizur also stated that he does not believe the coaching staff’s claim that his availability will improve the Test squad’s strength.

To manage workloads, he believes a separate pace unit for white and red-ball cricket should be developed.

“We can give new cricketers exposure against teams like Zimbabwe and Ireland, and how will they improve if we don’t give them exposure?”

Mustafizur has played in just 14 of Bangladesh’s 39 Tests since making his Test debut in 2015.

The left-arm pace bowler was forced to miss seven Tests because BCB refused to sign him to a Test contract despite his protests.

In the one-off game against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh was without him, and he was unavailable in the two-match Test series against Pakistan, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Mustafizur stated that he participates in the IPL to broaden his experience, but that national duty comes first.

“In IPL, every team is incredibly good, and all 11 players are world-class.”

“When you play against them, you will always learn something. Sharing the dressing room with world-class players and coaching staff would be a unique experience,” Mustafizur remarked.

“However, IPL is not as big as the national team, and I did not play in the IPL in 2020 because we were on tour in Sri Lanka” (that was postponed and later played in April 2021).

He stated, “I had always given preference to the national team.”