Bangladesh have moved their pace plans back toward Mustafizur Rahman ahead of the ODI series decider against New Zealand, with the left-armer back in the 3rd ODI squad listings after sitting out the start of the series with knee discomfort. The hosts go into the final in Chattogram with the three-match contest level at 1-1, and the return of an experienced quick could give them a timely edge.
The Mustafizur angle has been hanging over Bangladesh’s selection calls for a few days now. Before the second ODI, Shoriful Islam revealed that Mustafizur had been ruled out after feeling discomfort in his right knee during the warm-up before the toss in the opening game. Team management, Cricbuzz reported, planned to assess him again before deciding on the seam attack, with even a fit-again Mustafizur creating a squeeze in an already crowded pace unit that also includes Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana.
That selection headache doesn’t look like a bad problem anymore. Bangladesh bounced back in the second ODI in Dhaka, bowling New Zealand out for 198 before chasing the target down by six wickets. Nahid Rana was the headline act with 5 for 32, while Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Najmul Hossain Shanto steadied the chase with half-centuries after an early wobble. It changed the tone of the series in a hurry.
There’s a little more edge to this decider than a routine bilateral usually carries. Bangladesh kept the same 15-man ODI group that had beaten Pakistan 2-1 at home last month when they named their squad for the first two New Zealand matches, and that original pool already featured a strong fast-bowling core of Mustafizur, Taskin, Nahid and Shoriful under captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz. So this isn’t about a wholesale rethink. It’s about whether Bangladesh now trust their most seasoned left-arm seamer to return for the game that matters most.
The decider is scheduled for April 23 at Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium in Chattogram, after the first two ODIs were played in Mirpur. Bangladesh will probably feel momentum is finally on their side, especially after Nahid’s pace rattled New Zealand in the second match. Still, Mustafizur’s possible return gives them a different kind of threat: less raw violence, more variation, cutters, angles, and the sort of control captains lean on when the pressure starts to bite late in an ODI.
For New Zealand, that’s the awkward part. They’ve already seen Bangladesh’s newer pace in Nahid. A fit Mustafizur would force them to solve another problem entirely. And for Bangladesh, honestly, that’s the whole attraction of bringing him back now rather than later. In a level series, you don’t save your proven bowlers for a better day. This is the day.
