Jalal Yunus. Photo: Collected
Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) Cricket Operations Chairman, Jalal Yunus has sparked debate with his statement that star left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman has nothing more to gain from playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
This declaration comes despite Mustafizur's strong performance for the Chennai Super Kings, where he has taken 10 wickets in five matches, including a four-wicket haul.
BCB extended Mustafizur's IPL participation by one day, allowing him to play on May 1. He is expected to join the national team camp on May 3.
“Mustafizur has nothing left to learn by playing in the IPL. His learning process is over. In fact, many IPL players can learn from Mustafizur. Bangladesh will not benefit from this. Others will benefit from having Mustafizur,” Jalal asserted in Mirpur on Wednesday.
Jalal emphasised that the IPL is not limited to four-over spells for Mustafizur and expressed concern over the physical demands of the tournament's tight schedule.
“Our concern is Mustafizur's health. His fitness. They (the IPL teams) will want to take 100% from him. They don't have a headache about his fitness, but we do,” Jalal added. “What do we need? We need a fresh Mustafizur. We don't want an exhausted Mustafizur.”
He explained that the decision is part of managing Mustafizur's workload due to his recent heavy involvement in cricket.
Jalal's comments drew a reaction from renowned Bangladeshi cricket coach Mohammed Salah Uddin, who took to social media with a mocking response: “Nothing (is) expected better than that, brilliant thinking. Best jokes ever (I) heard,” accompanied by laughing emojis.
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