Shoriful learning the cutter from Mustafiz

Left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam is trying to master the art of delivering deadly cutters from teammate Mustafizur Rahman, known as the ‘cutter master’.

Mustafiz has been a mystery, an enigmatic riddle to the visiting Australian batsman, and imagine how horrible it would be if they start facing someone like him from both ends. And Shoriful is planning to do exactly that by mastering the art.

Shoriful got his own sting as he also bagged five wickets so far from the four Twenty20 internationals against Australia, and the Under-19 World Cup-winner is trying to enrich his arsenal by adding the deceptive cutter.

“I am trying to learn from Mustafiz Bhai about how he delivers the cutter. I am trying it in training but haven’t tried it in the match yet. His technique is totally different. I am learning. He said that for the right-handed batsman, this cutter is very deadly in the wickets at Mirpur because it stops a little and turns like a spinner’s delivery. He also said that (after learning) I can use the cutter often,” Shoriful said in a video message from the BCB ahead of the fifth and final T20 against Australia.

Shoriful also said that he enjoys the bowling partnership with ‘the fizz’ that started from the Bangabandhu Twenty20 Cup and then moved on to the Dhaka Premier League.

“I played along with Mustafiz bhai for the same team in the last Bangabandhu Twenty20 cup, then we played together in the DPL, and now we are playing together in the national team. Bowling with him is great fun. He always speaks positively. He can read the batsman’s mind very easily. When I come to bowl, he tells me what to do and what not. I am not that experienced, so when I get his help, it gets easy for me,” the lanky left-arm pacer said.