Nasum Ahmed ‘mentally prepared’ to grab opportunities

Bangladesh left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed insisted on Wednesday (September 17) that he doesn't lose his sleep for not being picked regularly in the XI as he is mentally prepared to come in and perform whenever an opportunity arises.

Nasum, who was adjudged man of the match for his 2-11, missed the opening two games in the Asia Cup against Hong Kong and Sri Lanka before the team management opted to bring him in place of Sheikh Mahedi for the Afghanistan clash.

The left-arm spinner also missed the opening game against Netherlands in the three-match series but when he was picked for the second encounter, he grabbed the man of the award picking 3-11. Right from the Sri Lanka series, Bangladesh have played 12 T20I matches and Nasum was in the playing XI for only four games.

Although he was part of the squad in the Sri Lanka series, he did not get to play a match. He was on the sidelines for the first two games of the three-match T20I series against Pakistan. In the final match, he made it to the XI and bowled four overs, taking two wickets for 22 runs. That match marked his return to international T20s after almost two years.

Then, in Sylhet, during the three-match T20 series against the Netherlands, he lost his place again in the first match while he was brought back into the XI for the second game. Since 2024, Nasum has played only six white-ball matches across formats.

"I am always ready to play, always trying to give my best. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't," Nasum told reporters at team hotel before departing for Dubai from Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. "Coming back and winning Man of the Match – this isn't something new. I was also the Man of the Match in the last game (against Netherlands)," he said.

"It all depends on the team's needs, which might be based on our planning, tactics, or the opposition. Because of this, sometimes one has to sit out. But I don't worry about that. We stay mentally prepared that whenever anyone gets a chance, he will try to perform well," he said.

Bangladesh are done with their fixtures in the group stage and now await the result of the Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan game on September 18. The equation for Afghanistan is simple – win and qualify for the Super 4s. For Bangladesh to get through, they'll need Sri Lanka to beat Afghanistan or lose by a big margin (by around 70 runs or 50 balls to spare).