Fizz the main hurdle in Australia’s challenge to adapt

"Man, he is a difficult customer. He is really good," Ashton Agar said while wearing a smile that recognised that his side had its work cut out in dealing with Mustafizur Rahman's cutters. Even for a spinner like Agar, it was something different.

"If you watch it in slow motion, [you will see] he pretty much does it with his wrist and his fingers," he said yesterday having faced a delivery in the second T20I that jumped out from nowhere and gained on him. Agar left the pitch shaking his head.

The Bangladesh batsmen had found life difficult in the conditions too, but in Fizz's cutters there was something to really look into and indeed learn from for Australia. Without making fuss, Australia were aware of being able to learn or indeed gain knowledge of a different kind of trait in different conditions.

Australia's Mitchell Marsh felt the Tigers were a bit smarter while both him and Agar felt that Fizz in particular had something anyone could learn from. Run-making had been Australia's problem in both T20Is on a slow surface very alien to them, but adaptation was key.

"Thought they were a bit smarter than us to be honest," Henriques said after a gritty 30-run knock in the second T20I.

Nasum Ahmed's four wickets in the first T20I had made them think, but Fizz had always been on Australia's minds and even then, there was room for surprise.

"Tonight, Mustafizur showed how quickly he adapts. I think he bowled 23 slower balls. He didn't bowl pace on and he doesn't do that in the IPL. Credit to him. The amount of revolutions he gets even on a good wicket, is hard to play, let alone on something like that. We have to find a way in a very short turnaround," Henriques elaborated after the second T20I.

Speaking to cricket.com.au, Henriques added: "It's one thing to be able to do that with your body but to keep hitting the right length like he does [is difficult to face]."

Australia's bowlers tried variations too. In fact, slower deliveries became part and parcel of the T20Is so far but there was something more to Fizz's action. His flexible wrist action had Aussie batters quite flummoxed. The cutter to castle Josh Philippe pitched somewhere that should have been a length delivery. The batsman found himself playing another shot entirely while the ball disturbed his leg stump.

Australia had taken the game deep in batting first in the last T20I but the last few overs from Fizz got them wrapped in a tangle. With the matches not being broadcast in Australia -- and even Glen Maxwell taking to Twitter to ask for streams -- Agar felt people were missing out on something.

"For people who love the game, different conditions create different learning opportunities. For kids watching these games, they are seeing something they didn't before. Bowling stars that aren't seen in Australia…bowling slowers like Mustafizur."

There was something that can be learned from the visitors' mentality too. Enjoying the game you love, and playing cricket with the spirit to learn different skills is why they too have been successful in their cricket culture.