Home ›› 27 Jan 2022 ›› Sport
Former Bangladesh Men’s National Cricket Team head coach Steve Rhodes, currently serving as the advisor for Bangladesh Premier League side Comilla Victorians, was full of praise for Mustafizur Rahman, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, and Nahidul Islam after they secured two wins from the first two matches of the ongoing BPL.
Comilla beat Fortune Barishal by 63 runs at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, and Mustafiz, Joy, and Nahidul played a crucial part in that win.
Joy set up Comilla’s innings with 48 runs from 35 balls on his BPL debut, and later on, Nahidul and Mustafiz made sure that Barishal crumbled.
Nahidul managed the cheapest bowling figures in BPL history as he gave away only five runs in his four overs, picking up three wickets. Mustafiz also picked up a wicket.
After the match, Rhodes said that Nahidul was a very clever cricketer and also mentioned the name of another local spinner, Tanvir Islam, who picked up two wickets on the day.
“Tanvir and Nahidul have not been involved in any kind of international cricket. But both are smart. They know their bowling; they know what they can do and they stick to their plans. I have watched them in practice and I am very impressed. They are clever cricketers. Once you set plans, you can let them do their job. A lot of it is their credit,” he said in the post-match press conference on Tuesday.
Rhodes also said that Mustafiz is a better bowler now compared to 2019 when the British coach left his role as the Bangladesh head coach.
“I have noticed a difference in Fizz since I was here (with the national team). He is a better bowler now because he has developed a few new things for ODI cricket,” Rhodes said.
Joy has had a great 2022 so far. He played a perseverant knock of 78 runs against New Zealand in the first Test at Mount Maunganui, setting up Bangladesh’s historic win over the Blackcaps. And on his BPL debut, he almost managed a fifty.
“He is a bright star for the future. He is a nice stroke maker. He can score at a good tempo without having to slog. He looks the part. He played an amazing innings against New Zealand. He has got the right credentials to become a very, very good player.
“He surprised a few today, but it happens from time to time that young players surprise you. They come in and do really well, and he has done that today. He played a marvellous knock today (Tuesday),” he said.
But Rhodes is focused on keeping the players’ feet on the ground after gathering maximum points from the first two matches.
“We still have a long way to go. That’s the message to the fans and the team. We will try to keep their feet on
