Young Bangladesh pacer, Mustafizur Rahman returned to Bangladesh amidst much fanfare after winning the 2016 IPL with the Sunrisers Hyderabad. The young fast bowler was also awarded the emerging player of the tournament award, a first for any foreign player in the history of the IPL.
Speaking to ATN news after his return to Bangladesh, Mustafizur explained the reason for his nickname “Fizz”. The bowler said, “Hathurusinghe (Chandika) gave me the name. Mustafizur Rahman name is bit big. That’s why coach gave me this name. One day, I did not see my name in a training session, but I saw Fizz. The coach said that it’s my name.”
Also read: Want to continue learning, says Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur
The young death over specialist said that he had missed his country during his two-month long stint in India saying, “My mind was crying for my country before, now for my parents and friends.”
Rahman also clarified speculation that he had appointed an interpreter to help communicate with his team saying he did not need one, “Shikhar Dhawan, Ashish Nehra and Bhuvneshwar Kumar could speak Bengali. No interpreter was taken for me. It’s newspaper’s fake news. I just taught Boult (Trent) and Tom Moody kemon acho? valo achi. (Bengali for ‘How are you?’ and ‘I am fine’).”
The Bangladeshi was lauded for his bowling in the IPL where he built up a reputation as a death over specialist in the batsman dominated league. His performances were key in the Sunrisers Hyderabad emerging victorious in the competition. Speaking to the press at the airport, Mustafizur had said, “I am still young. I want to learn more. There were many players from many countries in the IPL...I'll try to give something better if I get a chance next time,"
Also read: How Mustafizur Rahman has helped win back Indian fans' respect towards Bangladesh cricket
No county cricket for Mustafizur
The bowler was due to play county cricket in England for Sussex but might not be able to fulfill that commitment due to the hamstring injury he suffered before the IPL final. He said, “I felt a little pain in my leg before the final match. I'll go and visit the physio and speak to the cricket board (Tuesday). Things will be known then,"
Mustafizur enjoyed a breakout season in the IPL after initially impressing in the India-Bangladesh series. Playing for the Sunrisers in the IPL, he picked up 17 wickets from 16 matches at an economy rate of 6.90, which was the lowest among bowlers to have bowled at least 20 overs in the tournament.
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