Mustafizur can peak during Asia Cup: Walsh

DHAKA: Bangladesh bowling coach Courtney Walsh on Sunday said that paceman Mustafizur Rahman can return to peak form in the upcoming Asia Cup.

The injury-prone bowler has been in and out of action lately. He sustained shoulder and ankle injuries in 2017, and earlier this year he injured his left toe while playing in the IPL.

He subsequently missed the away series against Afghanistan in June, and the two-Test series in the Caribbean thereafter. Mustafizur made his return in the limited-overs leg of the series, though, and recently revealed he had recovered fully, but needed to “find better rhythm”.

“He is coming on very good,” Walsh said.

“He is not where he’d like to be. He did well in the West Indies when he joined us. If those injuries stay behind him, he will only get better. He has very special skills. We need to have him around to give us a chance to do well,”

“I think he will always give you the edge. We are hoping he can reach his peak during the Asia Cup.”

Walsh added that he was keen on fine-tuning Mustafizur’s considerable skill set.

“I don’t think his workload needs to be managed,” said Walsh. “He is bowling pretty well. I would like to do more skill work with him.

“I haven’t had a chance (to work with him) due to his injuries, but I am hoping during the Asia Cup, we can do some work. He is coming with some confidence. Hopefully, he will get a lot fitter. He keeps getting slight injuries.”

Bangladesh lost the Tests in West Indies, but bounced back in the ODIs and T20Is, winning both series 2-1. Walsh said those victories would boost Bangladesh’s confidence heading into the Asia Cup.

“I am very optimistic with Mashrafe (Mortaza) leading the attack. He is a very experienced guy,” said Walsh.