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'Seeing Mustafizur against India on debut was a special surprise'

Tamim Iqbal picks the best performance he saw in the 2010s

As told to Mohammad Isam
20-Dec-2019
Fizzical education: India were introduced to the tricks of Mustafizur Rahman in Dhaka in June 2015  •  AFP/Getty Images

Fizzical education: India were introduced to the tricks of Mustafizur Rahman in Dhaka in June 2015  •  AFP/Getty Images

Players talk about the best cricket performance they watched in the 2010s

by Tamim Iqbal

Mustafizur Rahman
5 for 50 v India, first ODI, Mirpur, 2015

I had never faced him in the nets and had no idea what he was all about, so when I saw Mustafizur rip through India in his ODI debut, it was a special surprise. And not just for me. The world took notice of this Bangladeshi phenomenon.
Mustafizur was bowling against arguably one of the best batting line-ups in the world, which raised the value of his performance. He didn't have a great first spell, but when he was brought back later, he beat Rohit Sharma with his cutter. We all got together to celebrate his maiden ODI wicket, and then it just got better and better. He had Ajinkya Rahane brilliantly caught at cover by Nasir Hossain, again with that slower cutter that hung back on the pitch.
He also dismissed Suresh Raina and R Ashwin before picking up his five-for with another slower ball that Ravindra Jadeja miscued to long-on. Some of us who had never seen him bowl before got really excited.
Mustafizur's performance didn't just help him announce himself on the world stage. He had helped Bangladesh win against India.
In the next game, he followed it up with a six-wicket haul, which confirmed the sort of bowler he was going to be in the future. But it was his first five-for, on ODI debut, which will remain my most special performance of the decade.
More in the decade in review, 2010-19