Mushfiq-Mahmudullah to become rare in three formats of cricket in future
Image : Collected
|| CF Correspondent ||
It’s not so easy to play in all three formats simultaneously in modern-day cricket. Mushfiqur Rahim and Mhamudullah Riyad have been doing that work for so long.
While players are being expertise themselves over a specific format of games in world cricket, while players are choosing a pet format of games quitting one or two formats to long their cricket career, Mushfiq have since been playing across the formats concurrently.
There are few players in international cricket like him to play across the formats of games at this moment. The record and static sound this.
Mushfiqur Rahim placed second in the tally of most number of matches played by cricketers across the formats in the 2018-2019 season. Rahim played 70 Tests, 216 ODIs and 86 T20Is. He played 96 percent matches for the team in all formats. It’s interesting information that Mahmudullah Riyad topped in the list.
Bangladesh newly-announced T20 captain Mahmudullah played 99 percent of matches in all formats of games. But he recently dropped from Test Cricket. Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal could have remained in the list with Mushfiq. The duo among the busiest cricketers will remain top in the list. But both Shakib and Tamim didn’t play a slew of matches due to their respective injuries and personal reasons along with vacation from series or tournaments for the last two years. Shakib had been banned from all types of competitive cricket since October 2019.
Ross Taylor (New Zealand), Kusal Mendis (Sri Lanka), Joe Root (England), Babar Azam (Pakistan) and Rohit Sharma (India) are in the list of playing more matches across the formats on the trot. The number of players was more than the present 10 years back. The number has been decreased for the last few years. More than 57 percent of players took part for the national teams in three formats of games towards the 2008-2009 season.
It decreased further and stands around 48 percent in the 2013-2014 season. A total of 44 percent cricketers played across the formats in the 2018-2019 season.
For example, 52 percent of cricketers in Australia played in all formats of games in the 2008-2009 season. But it comes to 30 percent after being decreased. The state of England, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies took Australia’s condition. There is no gulf of difference in India.
It’s a different story in Bangladesh. A total of 57 percent cricketers used to play across the formats in 2008-2009. The number has been increased to 74 percent in 2013-2014. But it got down to 61 percent for the last few years.
The complexion of world cricket has been changing that is obvious in terms of statistics. As for example, David Warner, the opener of Australia quitted T20I to focus more on Test and ODI cricket. He has not played much more 20-overs matches for the country. Interestingly, his emergence had been made with T20 cricket.
Like Warner the number of cricketers in all three formats is decreasing in all the countries. Cricketers are being divided into Test and white ball-cricket experts. Those who are playing across the formats are being selective.
Virat Kohli plays taking rest from T20 and ODI cricket. Mitchell Starc didn’t play white-ball cricket sans world cup for the last few days. This Australian fast bowler keeps him alive for Test cricket. Bangladesh team management allows Mustafizur Rahman for only white-ball cricket. He can’t play more matches on the trot.
Abu Jayed Rahi and Ebadot Hossain in Bangladesh are for Tests. The duo is not in white-ball cricket planning. Who knows this polarization among the cricketers may be witnessed more ahead. It’ll be tough to find a player like Mushfiq in three formats of games in future.a
