|| CF DESK ||

Bangladesh pacer Shoriful Islam said he watches every game Mustafizur Rahman plays for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and also thinks Mustafiz enjoys IPL more than national team.

On Monday, Shoriful played a pivotal role in helping his side, Abahani Limited, secure a five-wicket victory over Prime Bank Cricket Club in the Dhaka Premier League.

"I watch every game and every ball Mustafizur bowls. I talk to him the day after the matches. I think he [Mustafizur] enjoys playing in the IPL more than playing for the Bangladesh team," Shoriful told reporters on Monday.

"It is because the pressure is less there. Perhaps, there are a lot of expectations when playing for Bangladesh and you come under immense pressure if you don't play well," he added.

Shoriful acknowledged that there are high expectations from Mustafizur, because of his caliber in the 20-over format.

Shoriful admitted that people expect more from the Fizz because of his pedigree in the 20-over format.

"He has been performing regularly. Maybe in the last two matches, he has not been able to deliver according to expectations. He has been playing well for the past several years which is why the expectations from him are higher," Shoriful said.

The ‘Fizz’ has scalped 11 wickets in six matches so far and will get three more games to add to his tally before coming back home for the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe starting on May 3 in Chattogram.