Aliss’ injury and ‘team balance’ pave Jaker’s way

It eventually took someone falling to an injury to make way for Jaker Ali Anik in Bangladesh's T20I squad ahead of their three-match series against Sri Lanka, starting on Monday in Sylhet. 

The keeper-batter was roped in as a replacement for off-spinner Aliss Al Islam, also his teammate in Comilla Victorians in the just-concluded Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), who was ruled out on Saturday due to a finger injury.

Jaker impressed in this BPL by batting with authority down the order for runners-up Comilla, en route to amassing 199 runs at a stellar average of 99.5 and a commendable strike-rate of 141.

The decision to include Jaker -- who has played three T20Is for the Tigers so far, following his debut in last year's Hangzhou Asian Games -- in place of a frontline spinner was the first call of action that the chief selector Gazi Ashraf Lipu had to respond to. He explained that the inclusion would provide a better balance as the squad already possess three frontline spinners.

"In addition to Aliss, we have three other frontline spinners in Rishad (Hossain), Taijul (Islam), and Sheikh Mahedi (Hasan) in the T20I squad," Lipu said.

"We believe, instead of adding another spinner to replace Aliss, the team's balance would be better served by including someone like Jaker Ali, who can bolster the middle or lower-middle order and serve as a finisher," he added.

During nearly six weeks of BPL action, Jaker looked fairly comfortable in understanding his role in Comilla Victorians' lineup. His role as a finisher demanded him to get off the blocks quickly and make an instant impact with hefty blows at the death.

With four-time champions Comilla's lineup in the recently concluded edition, batting up the order was always going to be a difficult proposition for the 26-year-old. With that reality in mind, he said -- in an interview with The Daily Star, published on February 18 -- that he had to work differently to bat according to the demands of the team, deeming himself as a "coach-oriented" player.

Earlier, after Jaker wasn't named in the initial squad for the Sri Lanka series, Comilla head coach Mohammad Salahuddin had criticised the selection process -- the parting move made by the Minhajul Abedin Nannu-led selection panel.

"You are looking for players to bat at number six and seven, and this guy [Jaker] has been doing well for the last two years. He scores runs at crucial moments for us and is sensible. I feel that this boy should be given the opportunity," the Comilla coach had said, at a press conference on February 14.

Given the ever-present outcry for a finisher who could fulfil the demands of batting at six or seven for the Tigers in limited overs cricket, the inclusion appears to be justified; taking into account the proactive nature of Jaker's rearguard batting prowess and especially because the squad includes as many as five openers.