Fizz breaks the ice

Just over a year has passed since Mustafizur Rahman was introduced to international cricket and yet he has certainly exceeded any individual dream. The 20-year-old left-arm pace bowler has never been out of the spotlight since he announced his arrival on the big stage with the wicket of Shahid Afridi. His victims on debut in three different formats -- Afridi in T20I, Rohit Sharma in ODI and Hashim Amla in Test -- are only a small statement of what the cutter-master has achieved so far. Ask him and he will tell you to add AB de Villiers to that list of firsts after his outstanding exploits in the Indian Premier League (IPL), considered as the biggest stage for a galaxy of world stars, where he confirmed his status as the most sensational left-arm pace bowler who has come to stay for a long time. Mustafizur has not talked for a while after playing a big part in leading Sunrisers Hyderabad to their IPL glory. But after enjoying an undisturbed rest in the tranquil settings of Tetulia village and in the care of his beloved mother, he broke the silence to The Daily Star's Sports Editor Mohammed Al-Amin on Monday night. And during that nearly hour-long session at the BCB Academy lounge, the soft-spoken Mustafizur, sporting a red T-shit, navy-blue jeans and with a new-look buzz cut, has decided to open up to the world that has so far acknowledged  him as an introvert individual and prone to homesickness. It was an amazing experience for someone whose first bout with the cricketer during the T20 World Cup in India produced only answers such as 'yes', 'no', 'very well'. This time around Mustafizur not only provided a lot of insight to his thinking as a cricketer, he also said how keen he is to learn English and how much he enjoys batting while playing tape-tennis cricket with his friends at home. Here is the first part of his thoughts on an array of issues and events.

On his IPL experience

Actually no matter how good you bowl sometimes you need to depend on luck as well. Sometimes I got wickets even with bad balls while in the national team. You don't always get wickets with your best deliveries. Maybe if batsmen tried to attack me like the other bowlers, then maybe I would have gotten more wickets. My bowling is best for wickets that are dry. It turns after landing. It was similar in Kolkata but it got a little slow off the pitch.

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Everybody cared for me in the IPL. Tom Moody used to constantly enquire about my fitness levels. Even when I came back here, he asked me about my side-strain and wanted to know if I was fit. (David) Warner… what can I say about him. He is a lot of fun on the field. He is good to watch. He is quite aggressive on the field as well against the opposition and that's fun to watch.

I did not see the IPL life outside of cricket. My teammates had a lot of fun. I never used to go to the parties. They used to go there and have a lot of fun. I preferred watching serials online. I enjoy that.

I enjoyed bowling against (Virat) Kohli. He is a very good batsman. In the final he hit me for a six. But again, that's nothing really bad. I may get hit for boundaries. I am not a machine after all. There is nothing wrong in that.

The game that I enjoyed most was against Punjab when I gave away just nine runs and took two wickets in four overs. On that day, everything I wanted to do with the ball happened. Everything went my way. My favourite wicket was the yorker I bowled against Andre Russel. I enjoyed that.

Actually I didn't notice the increase in my pace in the IPL. I feel that if a bowler can bowl at around 135, that is good enough. What is more important is to be in a good rhythm.

His ideal recipe for food and travelling

I lost a lot of weight in India mainly because of food and travel. We actually played almost all our away games a day after reaching that place and so it was a bit taxing. We enjoyed more rest days when we played at Hyderabad. Actually, I could not eat that much because in India the taste of the food was different from ours. (At home) I used to eat fresh food from the kitchen markets and my mother cooked them in a specific way. I have grown up this way and had hardly tasted foods from hotels. Even when I stay in Dhaka I hardly go out to have a taste of different foods. I still only prefer eating from two hotels -- Hotel Prince in Mirpur, where they have an item that includes Ilish, begun and alu and Cookers 7's bhuna khichuri. In England I might not have the same problem because there are a lot of Bangladeshis living there and I'm not talking about Bangladeshi restaurants. Actually, I'm talking about the Bangladeshi families. When I last toured England with the U-19 team a few families served us home-made food. Those might not have been fresh (frozen) but that's what I loved most. That will do.

On his bowling arsenal

I don't bowl round the wicket because the deliveries I bowl are not effective from that end. I was working on a different type of delivery but I have decided to stop that after feeling pain in my shoulder again. I will work on it again while I'm in England. For a left-arm bowler it's natural to bring the ball in to the right-hand batsman. I was trying but it was not happening. Besides, Wasim Akram showed me a style of gripping the ball. It's not exactly shaping up like his action. Everyone has their own style. For example [Trent] Boult wanted to learn the way I bowl cutters. I showed it to him. But when he tried it didn't even land on the wicket. So I need to practice the in-swingers, but I also need to keep in mind my style.

Honestly speaking, I like it when batsmen jump around a lot. When a batsman moves a lot I start to think. When I bowl towards the end I can grip the ball in a particular way and bowl four different deliveries. So when batsmen move around a lot I can do a lot of things. I can change the way I want to bowl right at the last moment. So that helps me. I hold the ball the same way, but some may think that I might bowl a bouncer, a slower or even a faster ball.

Early inspirations

Actually when I was playing for the under-16 level, Sheikh Salauddin sir, who passed away, used to show me on the laptop videos of national players bowling in the academy. I used to see those videos back then and feel inspired and determined to do well. I don't think of my achievements as something extraordinary. I don't take the pressure. I don't think much about the game. I just like to play the way I feel. Yes, you have to listen to what the coach says, but the coach won't teach me by holding my hand.

His ambition in England

Back when I went to England with the Under-19 team I could hardly understand anything like what to do and how to do it. I don't want to say that I know everything now but I can understand what I have to do or how to do it. Our fielding coach is from Sussex and I have talked with him. He said in England I will get all types of wicket including a type of wicket that we have in Mirpur. Besides, if I can bowl in the right areas it will be a problem for them.

On learning English

There won't be any problem for me when I go to England. No matter what happens. I will learn while playing. When BPL was going on everyone told me that I will get a call in the IPL. Even though I couldn't speak English I used to go to our foreign team members and try to speak to them. I used to learn. Even during the team meetings I spoke English that I knew was wrong but it didn't matter. Now, if I get to know a little too much there may be a problem.  I will learn slowly as time passes by. I won't need books or pens. I will learn it through cricket.

Bowling boots

When I was in the U-19 team I was having ankle problems because of not having proper bowling boots. My foot size is 12 but I was using 11 at that time. This is a kind of size you will not get in the shops and the official boot provider to the national team could not find one for me. So, I tried a different brand and it worked for me. Still, I need to work through my agent to have those tailor-made boots straight from the factories. I have done that in India during my participation in the IPL and I have already communicated it in England where it's a bit easier to get the size of my boots. This time I have asked for 12-and-a-half.