Walsh wary of rushing Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur back from injury ahead of 2019 World Cup

Waseem Ahmed 08:36 23/04/2019
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  • Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman.

    Bangladesh bowling coach Courtney Walsh has urged caution with regards to pacer Mustafizur Rahman’s fitness heading into the 2019 ICC World Cup in England.

    The 23-year-old pacer has been sidelined with an ankle injury for some time now and he is not the only injury worry for Bangladesh’s bowling unit ahead of their England and Ireland sojourns.

    Rubel Hossain is currently battling a side strain while his fellow pacer Mohammad Saifuddin is recuperating from a tennis elbow injury.

    With Bangladesh set to participate in an ODI tri-series in Ireland also involving West Indies prior to starting their World Cup campaign, Walsh has warned of the dangers of rushing Mustafizur back from injury.

    “(Mustafizur) has got a big role to play in the World Cup, once he is fit,” Walsh was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

    Courtney Walsh (l) and Mustafizur.

    Courtney Walsh (l) and Mustafizur.

    “Fizz hasn’t been as sharp since his injury, and he keeps picking up slight niggles. A fully fit Mustafizur can win games for you but we have to have him as fit as possible.

    “We have a bit of time on our side. My concern is that I hope we don’t over-rush him, and probably use him too much in Ireland, and he is not fresh for the World Cup.”

    The Windies pace legend believes that the pitches in England for the World Cup will be extremely flat and challenging for Bangladesh’s bowlers.

    “It will be a big challenge. The World Cup is going to be long tournament. There are going to be some good cricket wickets, which are batting-friendly. We have to be intelligent, and try to execute well,” Walsh said.

    “We have to read the conditions and the surfaces we play. Some places the ball might swing more than others. We have to assess when we get there. Most of the wickets will be docile and flat. We have to work on our variations and execution,” he added.

    Bangladesh open their World Cup campaign on June 2 when they take on South Africa at the Oval in London.

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