ICC Champions Trophy: 5 reasons why Bangladesh shouldn't be taken lightly

#2 The ‘Mustafizur’ factor

Mustafizur Rahman has lived to all the hype that has surrounded his name

The poster boy of Bangladesh cricket, and the man being sought by county clubs and T20 teams alike, Mustafizur Rahman, has done justice to all the hype around the name.

The hattrick-laden debut and rout of one of the strongest batting line-ups in the world had shot Mustafizur to prominence, and the success during the 9^th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) stamped the banner of a prodigy over the 21-year-old’s name.

43 wickets from 18 ODIs at an average of 16 and a strike-rate of 20.7 appear to be stupendous numbers, and worthy of someone already on his way to becoming an all-time great. It would be too early to call whether Mustafizur is indeed on his way, but the talent present and the X-factor that he brings to the table are unquestionable.

With the experience of playing county cricket for Sussex coming handy, the left-arm pacer could work the tricks for Bangladesh, especially with the new ball. This is not to say that he isn’t as good at the death, as was visible when he nailed those toe-crushers in the IPL.

The slower balls, through, would remain his primary weapon, as it has been through his ‘cutters’ that he has bamboozled batsmen all over the world.