Sussex want Bangladesh sensation Mustafiz to play

Sussex coach Mark Davis remains confident Bangladesh sensation Mustafizur Rahman will light up Hove this summer.

Rahman agreed to join Sussex in March and was due to be available for the majority NatWest T20 Blast campaign and then remain at the club until late August to play in the Royal London One-Day Cup.

But the 20-year-old seamer is reported to be considering delaying his arrival at Hove to give himself time to recover from his exertions in the Indian Premier League.

One source even claims Rahman – who is currently starring for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the competition with 13 wickets at an average of 15.61 – is considering pulling out of the deal altogether but Davis insists that is not the case, reports The Argus.

Davis said ‘We can’t confirm anything at the moment but I am confident he will still be joining us.He is probably the best bowler in the world at the moment so we’re very excited about him coming and we should know for sure what’s going on in the next couple of weeks.’

Rahman was already set to miss Sussex’s opening game at Gloucestershire in the NatWest T20 Blast on May 20 with the Sunrisers’ final match scheduled for May 22.

He could also miss the home game against Somerset at Hove on June 1 if Hyderabad reaches the final on May 29 with the Sunrisers well placed to progress to the knockout stages in second place in the table.

Bangladesh are keen not to put their prized asset under too much strain after he suffered a side muscle injury in the Asia Cup which limited his appearances in the World Twenty20 in March.

If he does return to Bangladesh after his stint at the IPL it would further delay his arrival at Hove as he would need to obtain a new visa to travel to the UK from Dhaka.

Akram Khan, Bangladesh cricket operations committee chairman, said ‘A decision is still pending on Mustafizur’s participation in county cricket this season but then again it is his personal decision, we can only make suggestions.’

If Rahman does renege on his deal with Sussex it will add to a frustrating couple of months for the county with skipper Luke Wright unable to play yet this season due to injury and England all-rounder Chris Jordan earning a late deal to join Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL.