Competing duo look to India warm-up

The cricketers resumed training yesterday for the first time in 2018 after a day's break for the New Year and the Tigers returned with renewed enthusiasm ahead of the tri-series against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka which begins on January 15.

However all eyes were on Sabbir Rahman as the 26-year-old faced heavy financial punishment that was proposed by the BCB's disciplinary committee on the first day of the year for assaulting a young fan during a National Cricket League game in Rajhshai on December 21.

The cricketer was rather quiet during training and perhaps it was because the punishment had an impact, and Bangladesh ODI skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, who joined the ongoing training camp for the first time since returning from Thailand for his daughter's eye treatment, tried to cheer up Sabbir yesterday.

On the other hand Tamim Iqbal, who also incurred a Tk 5 lakh fine and was warned after criticising the Mirpur outfield during the fifth edition of the Bangladesh Premier League, was in good spirits.

The left-hander had a bit of a light-hearted wager in an informal game with young bowlers Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Mahedi Hasan, Saifuddin and Sunzamul Islam after the training session at the Academy ground in Mirpur, in which the cricketers set each other targets to chase.

According to Mashrafe, the cricketers were upset after the dismal tour of South Africa and said that if they are able to win the upcoming tri-nation series the whole scenario will change drastically.

The Tigers will be without a head coach in the upcoming home series, which includes the tri-series as well as Tests and T20Is against Sri Lanka, while assistant coach Richard Halsall and spin bowling consultant Sunil Joshi are expected to join the camp from today. Pace bowling coach Courtney Walsh is also expected to join the camp by January 5.

Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hassan on Monday informed that, in the absence of a head coach, the seniors will have to take the responsibility associated with the position. According to Mashrafe, however, that will not change the role the seniors already play.

"I don't think we have to do anything different," Mashrafe told reporters after the training session yesterday. "What he [Hassan] tried to say is that the seniors need to take more responsibility, which was always there. If we try to do anything different it might create new problems, so I think it is fine as it is. Maybe we did not have a good South Africa tour and there can be a lean patch, but it is important for us to play without keeping those things in our mind," he said.

The inspirational skipper also talked about the punishments handed out to Sabbir and Tamim, saying that it is the responsibility of the cricketers to maintain standards off the field as well.

"We have to accept what has happened and we have to make sure we don't make mistakes in the future and what happened with Sabbir... I hope it won't happen to anyone else, not even me. Our job is to perform well and as everyone follows us so we have to make sure we keep everything right off the field as well," Mashrafe said.

On the other hand, according to Khaled Mahmud, the new technical director for the upcoming home series, both Sabbir and Tamim deserve the punishment as no one is above the rules and regulations of the game.

"There are some rules in cricket and if someone breaks that he has to face the punishment and whether the punishment was too much or not, I can't comment on that but you will be punished if you made a mistake. And I think it should be taken sportingly. In Tamim's case, he should have been more responsible in making comments and I think the punishment was needed for him as well," Mahmud said.

Following a dismal batting show in the first one-dayer, Bangladesh A batters inspired the visitors to a 44-run victory against West Indies A in the second one-dayer on Thursday at the Daren Sammy Stadium in Saint Lucia to level the three-match series.

Bangladesh scored 277 for six after being sent in to bat first and went on to restrict the home side to 233 for nine.

Opener Naim Sheikh set the tone from the start as the left-hander hit a 116-ball 103. After both Naim and skipper Mohammad Mithun departed with Bangladesh at 164 for four in the 34th over, in came Sabbir Rahman, who made the cut in Bangladesh's Asia Cup squad. Sabbir's 58-ball 62, assisted by wicketkeeper-batter Jakir Ali's 12-ball 18, ensured the visitors' innings ended on a high. 

In reply, West Indies began their chase well, with openers Tagenarine Chanderpaul (38) and Joshua da Silva (68) combining to a 94-run stand, and found themselves on solid ground at 155 for two in the 34th over.  

However, couple of quick dismissals from right-arm quick Mukidul Islam and a run-out managed to put the brakes and from then on, the West Indies kept losing wickets at regular intervals.

Pacer Rejaur Rahman Raja scalped two while fellow quick Khaled Ahmed grabbed one wicket.

The win comes as a huge boost for the Bangladesh A side, who lost the first one-dayer by four wickets after they were bundled out for 80. The two teams will play the third and final match on Saturday.  

The Bangladesh T20 team departed for UAE yesterday with hopes of getting their bearings in the shortest form in order in the Asia Cup. Only Anamul Haque Bijoy and pacer Taskin Ahmed did not travel with the squad due to their visas not arriving on time and are expected to travel today.

Termed as a 'new beginning' by the Bangladesh Cricket Board, questions have been raised about what the Tigers could realistically expect to achieve in the upcoming six-team tournament. That question was also pitched to newly-appointed T20I skipper Shakib Al Hasan, when he was queried about expectations going into the Asia Cup and whether the team had a realistic chance of making the final.

"It will be difficult for us [to play final]. If we think realistically, it would be an achievement to play well in these two matches and improve our performances from the last few series that we played in the past year-and-a-half," Shakib had replied in a press conference on August 22.

Continuous failures in T20Is led to the BCB shuffling the squad for the recent Zimbabwe series and trying out new players. However, after failing to embody the approach that the BCB were looking for and a resulting 2-1 loss in that series, the board decided to bring Sridharan Sriram, a coach with international and IPL experience, to take the reins of the T20 side. At the same time, Russell Domingo was relieved of his duties in the shortest format and told to focus on ODI and Tests.

Shakib admitted that failures and talk of new beginnings were not new, which at least shows that the all-rounder was ready to accept those shortcomings. "There is no way to not address the failures. It's only a question of whether we are hearing this talk of new beginnings for the last time. We might hear again that we are trying to start things anew. I don't whether there is any end to these new beginnings. But if we don't try, we will never know. So, it's important to try," he had added.

However, Bangladesh have often come out firing with their backs to the wall. The Tigers have made the Asia Cup final thrice and took the final against India in 2018 till the final ball of the 50-over game. The Tigers also had to play that final without Shakib as he injured his finger during a match against Pakistan. This time the team will be hoping their captain and ace all-rounder turns up with vital performances to inspire the side.

Bangladesh have been placed in a group with strong T20 outfits Sri Lanka and Afghanistan and both sides are in better form than the Tigers.

The Tigers can still hope to make headway in the tournament if Shakib can deliver like he did against Sri Lanka, scoring 92 off 69 with the Tigers needing to win with bonus points in a tri-nation series at home to make the final. Or if he performs the way he did when striking a ton in 2017 against the Lankans to mark the special occasion of Tigers' 100th Test. Or like when he took the 2019 World Cup by storm.

"It's not that I will have to make changes. I don't think we don't need to change. It is important how we utilise our resources to get the best return on investment, I am only thinking about that," Shakib had said.

As far as expectations go, the team management will be hoping the skipper can make the best use of 'resources' available to him.

The national selectors yesterday named Sabbir Rahman in Bangladesh's 15-member ODI squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against New Zealand in February, despite the batsman being in just the fifth month of a six-month ban from international cricket.

Pacer Taskin Ahmed also made a comeback to both ODI and Test squads, while young off-spinner Nayeem Hasan was the only new inclusion in the ODI squad.

Imrul Kayes was the surprise exclusion from the one-day side after the left-hander scored two hundreds and a fifty in the home series against Zimbabwe last year. However, after failing in the two games against West Indies in the following series, Imrul was dropped from the team.

All-rounder Ariful Haque, left-arm seamer Abu Hider and left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam were also dropped from the ODI squad that was picked for the West Indies series.

There was a lot of talk about the inclusion of Sabbir, who was banned for abusing a fan on social media. as his original ban was supposed to end on March 1, which would have ruled him out of the three-match ODI series in New Zealand ending on February 20.

The selectors however said that they received clearance from the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB's) disciplinary committee, which reduced Sabbir's ban by one month. The selectors also added that Bangladesh ODI skipper Mahsrafe bin Mortaza had urged the selectors to include the batsman.

The 15-member Test squad for the three-match Test series that will follow the ODI series in New Zealand was also named yesterday. Alongside Taskin, Tamim Iqbal also made a comeback after recovering from a left knuckle fracture, while pacer Abu Jayed was also recalled to the side.

Bangladesh will take part in the first match of the three-ODI series on February 13. The second and third matches will take place on February 16 and 20 respectively. The visitors will also take part in a three-Test series with the first one starting from February 28 and the other two matches scheduled for March 8 and 16 respectively.

15 member squad for first three ODIs:

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (capt), Shakib Al Hasan (Vice Captain), Tamim Iqbal,Liton Kumer Das, Soumya Sarker, Mushfiqur Rahim, Md Mithun, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mehedi Miraz, Naeem Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Mohammed Saifuddin, Taskin Ahmed, Sabbir Rahman

One can turn any negative experience into a positive one and Sabbir Rahman has done just that during his exile from domestic cricket. During his banishment, which saw him miss this season's Dhaka Premier League and Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) due to suspension, two realisations dawned on the 26-year-old.

"What I think is that it is not always bad to stay outside for a while," was the all-rounder's fist epiphany. His second was that it was not all about technique; but rather that scoring runs is what matters most.

The 26-year-old, who was banned from the domestic circuit for six months in January this year and also lost his central contract after assaulting a young fan during a National Cricket League match in Rajshahi in December last year, responded to questions about his suspension, the upcoming Afghanistan series and his batting form at Mirpur yesterday.

"Staying outside is not a big deal. I missed the BCL and Premier League but I worked on my fitness during that time alongside a few technical issues. I think there are some positives to staying outside for a while. I spent time with my family. My mother was sick and I gave her time. I had a good time and I hope I will enjoy more good times over the next few years," Sabbir said in response to a question about how he kept in touch with the sport during the enforced break.

Asked whether one good innings could sweep aside all his faults in previous knocks for the viewing public, he explained: "Confidence is key. The technique will be okay if you score runs and nobody will find any faults. And if you are out against a good delivery and you are not among the runs then everybody will say your technique is bad. Yes, I may have a problem with my technique and temperament but in my opinion nothing is bigger than scoring runs."

Sabbir added that his last good innings would give him confidence against Afghanistan. The right-hander scored a 50-ball 77 that included seven fours and four sixes in his last competitive game, the Nidahas Trophy final against India in March this year.

Regarding the upcoming Afghanistan challenge, Sabbir echoed the sentiments of Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad and other teammates, saying that it would be a good series, that there are no big or small teams in T20 cricket and that the Tigers could handle the Afghan bowling attack as they have experience in their ranks.

Sabbir also informed that each day was new to him and came with its own unique challenges.

"It's my job to take the challenges," said a confident Sabbir, who was also not concerned about his batting position but rather only looking forward to scoring big.