Moeen Ali started playing for England in 2014 while Mustafizur Rahman started playing for Bangladesh later. Both of them haven’t played in a certain type of cricket called Test cricket. But the way they think about playing is different and that’s important for Bangladesh’s bowling team.
Moeen was feeling like not playing many Test cricket matches was making it harder for him to play well in other cricket games. He felt like he was not doing his spin moves correctly.
“When I was playing Test matches, I always felt like I was bowling well in white-ball cricket. You can kind of lose that rhythm, I guess. I think I’ve got to have that mindset of still bowling with that same energy as I would have done in Test matches,” said Moeen in an interview with Cricinfo.
Moeen has played in 63 big cricket games, while Mustafizur has only played in 15. The place where they are going to play the game is not very good for fast bowlers like Mustafizur. He usually plays a different kind of cricket where he has more experience. He has only played in 36 games like this before.
Someone who is really good at playing with a white ball might wonder why they need to play a longer game of cricket. But a person who helps the team and teaches them says that there are good reasons for it.
“Test cricket gives batters and bowlers an opportunity to play their own way and understand their own strengths and weaknesses. In T20 format, you don’t play your own game, the scoreboard dictates,” he said.
Fizz’s cricket skills need to be thought about again because in his last game he threw two balls that were too easy to hit, and it happened at a really important time. It seems like the other team might try to hit his balls on purpose when they need to score.
“I don’t know if he [Mustafizur] has a clear head about his own game. He is probably depending on what others tell him. It’s not about his cutters or slowers but his understanding and reading of the game. There is the thing about ‘what am I not supposed to do?’. That’s probably in his head.”
Does that stem from a negative mindset?
“Yes,” Fahim says. “You are thinking you won’t bowl loose deliveries or half-volleys or wides. But negative thoughts don’t bring positive results. Maybe he’s thinking he won’t give away runs but it’s very difficult since in T20s without aggressive intent since everyone gets hit. He has to back himself and he isn’t doing that.
“We used to think of him as an automatic choice in T20s but that’s not the case anymore. We have four to five bowlers who come before Mustafizur,” Fahim says.
Playing real games could have helped too, not just taking tests.
“Your technique is completely challenged in longer-version cricket. In T20s, you can bowl slowers but in longer-version the wicket has to be earned with skill. You acquire that skill with hardships day in and day out. That’s where mental strength and perseverance comes from.”
“Every format has a different trait and your mentality develops according to that. Talking about perseverance, when a partnership develops and reaches 200, you are still bowling and persevering. That mental development is missing,” Fahim concluded.