Bangladesh’s pace sensation and a familiar face in world cricket, Mustafizur Rahman, has been showered with birthday greetings from his former and current franchise teams across the globe. Social media is flooded with birthday wishes on his wall.
Mustafiz was born in Tentulia village of Tarali Union in Kaliganj upazila, about 45 kilometers south of Satkhira. The youngest among four brothers and two sisters, he rose to prominence with his impressive performances in domestic cricket. On April 24, 2015, he earned a call-up to the national team for the one-off T20 international against visiting Pakistan. At the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, he stunned with his bowling, dismissing Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez. Bangladesh won their first-ever T20I against Pakistan by a huge margin of 7 wickets.
Two months later, on June 19, he made his ODI debut against visiting India, where he took five wickets and was named Player of the Match. Just two days later, on June 21, again against India, he grabbed six wickets for 43 runs, once again becoming Player of the Match. With 11 wickets in his first two matches, he set a world record. Mustafiz quickly found success in Test cricket as well—debuting against South Africa, where his left-arm magic earned him the Player of the Match award. He became the first player in history to win the award on debut in both ODIs and Tests.
In April 2019, he was included in Bangladesh’s squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. Earlier, in 2016, he played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Sunrisers Hyderabad. He was also named in the ICC Team of the Year in 2015. In ODI cricket, he became the 10th bowler to take a five-wicket haul on debut, and the 4th in the world to win Player of the Match in his first two ODIs.
Mustafizur Rahman, renowned for his deceptive off-cutters and sharp bouncers, has firmly established himself as a key figure in Bangladesh cricket. His performances for the national team and in various franchise leagues worldwide have earned him international recognition. On this special day, he is basking in waves of greetings from the cricketing world.
