A lot will happen but I want to stay the same, young Mustafizur tells bdnews24.com

Mustafizur Rahman's range of success on his debut season for Bangladesh has exceeded expectations. The teenage pace sensation has turned into an invaluable asset for Bangladesh cricket.

The youngster from Satkhira spoke to bdnews24.com in an exclusive interview on Thursday at the BCB Academy Building, where his journey began in the Bangladesh Under 19 and A teams.

A little more than a year ago, we spoke to you sitting on this same sofa. You were leaving for the West Indies with the Bangladesh A team, it was a moving experience for you then. Now your name has spread across the cricket world. Did you have this within the stretch of your imagination?

Mustafizur: Absolutely not… can’t think of all that. One needs to have good times. Allah has given me that.

World cricket knows you as 'Cutter Mustafiz' now. Some don’t get a special name even after years of playing. How do you feel getting it so early in your career?

Mustafizur: I don’t really think that much. I always look ahead. I’m only thinking about giving service to the team for the next 10 years at least.

Dale Steyn said a few days back that he had learned from your bowling. So many present and former players around the world are praising you…

Mustafizur: I don’t really watch cricket that much, so I don’t know too many names. But it feels good to be praised by famous cricketers. That’s it… don’t know what else to say.

Let’s track back. There has been a lot of writings and discussions about you becoming a good cricketer. Let’s hear it from you…

Mustafizur: I used to see everyone watching cricket at home since I was a kid. Specially my dad watched a lot of cricket. He liked Wasim Akram a lot, loved the batting of Saeed Anwar and Mohammad Yousuf. Everyone used to watch the game except me. But dad used to ask us to watch.

When did you start playing?

Mustafizur: Then, I slowly started playing. I used to play football, cricket, everything at the school ground. Used to bat then, couldn’t hit much but could stay on for a long time. We, all four of brothers, liked playing a lot. We used to make a team for local games. There was a TV cup tournament. We would spend Tk 10,000-20,000 in the tournament for a Tk 3,000 TV. We included all the good cricketers from Satkhira.

I had not yet played in the tournament. The good players used to play. I bowled to them before the games. I was bowling to this batsman, Milon. He went up to my brother and said, 'your brother bowls quite well.' He told me, 'I'll call you up if there is age specific tournament in Satkhira, do come'.

When did you get the call?

Mustafizur: A few days later. I didn’t even know the Satkhira city then. They checked my teeth (to check the age), I took trials. It was an under 16 tournament. It was my first time seeing a cricket ball. There were 51 persons in the trial. Later, it was brought down to 14. I passed. Later, I played the district tournament and from there the divisional competition.

My bowling was not like this then. It was very random. I used to land on the wrong foot [while releasing deliveries]. I didn’t do well in the divisional tournament, probably didn’t get a wicket in three matches. I used to miss while fielding, letting balls roll by. Later, I focussed on bowling while being in the divisional team. I was called up to the pace foundation in Dhaka. There was a camp for the Under 19 team as well. Taskin bhai and others were in it. Bowled in the net there. You know what happened after that. From Under 19, A teams, to here.

You said in a press conference that Anamul Haque’s words inspired you to learn cutters. Didn’t you have any idea about this delivery before that?

Mustafizur: Not really, I didn’t. When Bijoy bhai (Anamul) asked me in the net if I could bowl slowers, that is when I tried it first. I released it like a slower and saw that it turned. Bijoy bhai got out. It was an important thing because after that I thought I had to learn this well.

Among all the wickets that you took in the first season of your career, which one did you enjoy most?

Mustafizur: I enjoyed the wicket of Afridi most (on Twenty20 debut). Although the ball hadn’t touched the bat, but it was the best. Afridi had no clue. That was what I enjoyed most.

Afridi hit you for a six before the dismissal. Didn’t that frighten you? Or later when you faced famous batsman of India and South Africa, weren’t you afraid?

Mustafizur: Not a bit. Wherever I’ve played since I was a kid, I never thought about who the batsman was. I don’t care about who is standing in front of me. I just think about my bowling. I don’t think about anything else once I’m on the field.

Were you not nervous even during your debut?

Mustafizur: Not during the T20 (debut). But I was a bit nervous while getting on the field to warm up on one-day debut. So many spectators, such excitement. Raju bhai (Abut Hasan) was in the dressing room. I told him 'come with me on the field, I’m scared'. That’s probably the first time I was nervous in my life. But it passed after the game started.

There are rumours that you were shocked after being called up to the Test squad.

Mustafizur: Yeah, I was supposed to leave for home after the one-dayers. The ticket had been booked as well. I told my fellow Satkhira-mate Soumya 'here is the ticket, I'm going home'. That ticket had been in my bag; threw it away before leaving the hotel that day.

The first Test spell was not good, then three wickets in an over…

Mustafizur: Actually, I always bowl better with the old ball. Usually all pacers want to get off (the field) in Tests. But I don’t want that. No matter how tough it is, I like to stay on the field, like I did that day. Hashim Amla’s wicket gave me a surge. I always try bowl wicket-to-wicket to new batsmen. That’s what I did. A bowler once said 'the first and last balls of the day should be at the stumps’. I always remember that. That’s how the wickets of Duminy and de Kock came.

Mashrafe bowled with the new ball for so many years, but has left it to you now. How do feel about that? How’s your relationship with the captain?

Mustafizur: My relationship with everyone is good, not just Mashrafe bhai. Being the most junior in the team, I’m treated differently. Relationship with Shakib bhai wasn’t so deep before. But it’s good now. I always listen to them and take their views into account.

Do you sledge?

Mustafizur: Nope. I don’t like sledging. Many say these things are necessary to be a pace bowler. But I don’t like it. The batsman will do his job, I will do mine.

Batsmen often are full of attitude, what then?

Mustafizur: I turn around and walk back, keep to myself. Virat Kohli hit me for a four and said 'why do bowl so slowly?' I didn’t say anything. You can answer with your bowling. I didn’t get Kohli’s wicket. It would’ve been good if I did.

Now, many will study your bowling and find ways to play them. How prepared are you for that?

Mustafizur: I will learn more. The cutter is good now but I have much more to learn. Got to learn how to get the ball in. I could barely utilise the new ball the last season. I had been playing match after match in all Premier League, National League, BCL, national team. A break can help in doing some extra work. Now it is more important for me to learn bringing the ball in. All batsmen are weak playing balls that move in. That is usually the prime weapon of left-arm pacers. I hope to work on that in this break.

Building muscles and gaining more speed?

Mustafizur: It’s all on my mind. I hope it will happen if I [work out at] gym properly. Whatever routine is given to me, I do them all properly.

Can you still be like this amidst so much stardom?

Mustafizur: I don’t feel that staying like this is too difficult. I want to play for at least 10 years. A lot will happen if I do. But I want to stay the same as a human being.