Bangladesh's spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed said that their batters need to play the ball rather than playing Rashid Khan, who had wrecked through their batting line-up in both the ODIs to help them clinch the three-match series with one game in hand, reports Cricbuzz.
Rashid, who picked four wickets in the opening game of the series, grabbed a five-fer (5 for 17) in the second ODI on Saturday night to give Afghanistan an 81-run win.
"I think they are playing Rashid, not the ball. He is not a big spinner of the ball. But he is very experienced. He is a wicket-taker. His line and length is very consistent. I think we have to sometimes play the ball, not the bowler. We have to improve quickly," Mushtaq told reporters following the defeat.
"If you have great temperament you can play against any bowler in international cricket. Rashid has been very successful for many, many years for Afghanistan, but [at the] same time as a Bangladeshi batting unit, we should know how to play the ball, not the bowler," he said.
Mushtaq added that their batters need to take singles against spinners in the middle overs to keep the scoreboard ticking and slowly apply the pressure back on to the opponent.
"You must have a better technique against spinners in middle overs,
how to get singles on good balls. If you can rotate strike, I think that will put more pressure on bowlers than yourself," said
Mushtaq.
"I think the ground reality is we have to sort out our batting. They are good players, they can bat."
Play the ball, not the bowler, says Mushtaq Ahmed
FE Team | Published: October 12, 2025 22:44:43
Play the ball, not the bowler, says Mushtaq Ahmed
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