Bangladesh's Mustafizur Rahman to play in BBL 16: Details here
What's the story
Bangladesh's star pacer Mustafizur Rahman is all set to make his Big Bash League (BBL) debut this season. The veteran T20 specialist with 400-plus wickets has signed with the Melbourne Renegades for BBL 16. He will be the third Bangladeshi cricketer to play in the BBL after Shakib Al Hasan and Rishad Hossain. Here are further details.
Team strategy
Mustafizur excited to join Renegades
The Bangladesh pacer will join the Renegades after his ILT20 commitments. The franchise sees him as a replacement for the injured Jason Behrendorff and an important addition to their death-bowling options.
"I am looking forward to playing in the BBL for the first time with the Melbourne Renegades," Mustafizur said, adding that he was excited about joining his teammates and contributing to the team.
Player profile
'Looking for a death-bowling option': Max Abbott
Renegades General Manager Max Abbott revealed that Mustafizur had been on their radar from the start.
Behrendorff's injury-enforced unavailability for the entire season only heightened their interest in Mustafizur, who provides a similar left-arm option.
"We were looking for a death-bowling option for us to really back-end the games. And as we know, there's no one better than Mustafizur playing in that role," Abbott said.
Fan expectations
Australian fans familiar with Mustafizur: Abbott
Abbott also highlighted Mustafizur's familiarity with Australian fans and his unique skills.
"I think Australian fans are quite familiar with Mustafiz. He's obviously been playing in World Cups for a number of years now," Abbott said.
He added that the excitement around Mustafizur's arrival would be due not just to his profile but also his unique skills, including slower balls and death bowling techniques.
Game schedule
Mustafizur likely to miss Renegades' opener
Mustafizur is likely to miss the Renegades' opening game in Chennai due to an overlap with the ILT20.
The franchise will assess his availability for the second game based on how his ILT20 team's campaign goes.
For now, they are hoping to have him available for their December 22 fixture against Sydney Sixers at SCG.
Information
A look at his T20 numbers
Mustafizur has been an elite fast-bowling figure, playing franchise T20 tournaments around the globe. He has the most T20 wickets for a Bangladesh pacer - 423 from 331 matches at 21.09. The left-armer also has the most T20I wickets for Bangladesh.