Mustafizur Rahman was going through a difficult time with the ball earlier in the year but has come roaring back in the last few matches as he has been one of Bangladesh鈥檚 best bowlers in the ongoing T20 World Cup, bowling with an economy of just 3.91 in three matches.
In the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka in March, the left-handed pacer went at over 10 runs per over in all three games, something that had never happened in his international career till then.
That was the culmination of him going through a lean patch in the shortest format for some time as since the start of 2023 to the end of that series, he had picked up just 10 wickets in 13 matches.
Then, he went to the Indian Premier League to play for Chennai Super Kings, picked up 14 wickets in nine games, and then returned home.
In his first game, he picked up three wickets giving away just 19 runs in his four overs.
Then, in the three-match series against USA, he struggled again in the first game, giving away 41 runs, which led to Bangladesh losing.
In the third match, though, the Fizz roared back, picking up six wickets for just 10 runs 鈥� Bangladesh鈥檚 best figures in the format 鈥� although it only led to a consolation win as they had already lost the series.
However, since the World Cup began, he has been in phenomenal form. Against Sri Lanka, he went for 17 runs in his four overs, picking up three wickets.
Despite staying wicketless against South Africa he gave away just 18 runs but his best showing so far came against Netherlands as he picked up 1-12 in four overs, giving 17 dot balls in the process.
He almost toyed with Tim Pringle as the batter kept missing one cutter after another from Mustafizur as he gave away one run in the 17th over and then three in the 19th, simply foxing the Dutch batters at the crease.
The change in form seems to be coming from a multitude of matters, which include his pace, implementation of slowers, and using the crease.
Mustafizur鈥檚 pace had dropped down to low and mid-130 kph in recent years, which reduced the efficiency of his cutters, which generally come at around 115-120 kph.
In this World Cup, he has even hit 144 kph with the ball and has hit high 130s regularly, which has made his cutters further effective.
Also, instead of relying solely on cutters, he has started to mix things up more, meaning he is now able to keep the batter guessing whether the ball would come at pace or cut across without.
He is also using the bowling crease aptly, going wider and closer to the stumps during deliveries, meaning he is changing the angle for the batters, resulting in further success.
So far in the World Cup, Mustafizur has been Bangladesh鈥檚 most reliable weapon, and if they want to go deep in the tournament, that reliability will have to continue.
