Sujan does not see Mustafiz’s fault in Chennai’s defeat

Pacer Mustafizur Rahman missed the opportunity to win the match against Lucknow. In the last over where Lucknow needed 17 runs to win, the left-arm pacer left Chennai in despair with 19 runs in the first three balls. He scored 51 runs in four overs on this day. Former cricketer and BCB director Khaled Mahmud Sujan stood by Mustafiz despite his poor bowling.

While talking to reporters on Wednesday (April 24), he said about Mustafiz, “Apart from sportsmen, there are ups and downs in the life of ordinary people. This is a very normal occurrence. Mustafiz is a proven international player. Good or bad times will come. He has to support us. If Mustafiz wins the match alone, then Bangladesh would not need another pacer, Mustafiz would have played.’

He also added, ‘Of course if we play as a team, one day Mustafiz will have a bad day or Taskin-Shariful will go. But when we win matches as a team, that bad cannot be called bad. Even if everyone blames Mustafiz, I don’t blame him at all. It’s part of the game. The way Stoinis was batting then naturally could have happened to any bowler then. The matches that Mustafiz won were also great. Players like that will have good days and bad days. Maybe he could not cope with the wicket. Couldn’t grip the ball. It may be.’

Praising Mustafiz, Sujan added, ‘When the wicket is flat, he has to think about what his best ball should be. Mustafiz is a formidable bowler on the wicket where he grips the ball. There is no other bowler as fearsome as him. But when the wicket gets too flat, it’s already on him… surely he thinks he has something. He should be focused on these. I’m not worried about him though.’

Meanwhile, Mustafiz will get a chance to play two more matches in Chennai’s jersey in the IPL. He will return home on May 2 to participate in the Zimbabwe series. The first three matches of the upcoming five-match series will be played at Zahoor Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong. The remaining two will be at Mirpur Sherebangla Cricket Stadium. The five-match series will begin on May 3.