Rony’s quest for a comeback

Pacer Abu Hider Rony sees his call up to the High Performance Unit for the tour to Australia as a lifeline for his international career and believes it can open a path for him to make a comeback to the Bangladesh side after a lengthy gap. 

The 28-year-old was a surprise inclusion in both the one-day and T20 squads of the HP unit, which will leave for Australia tonight, for their forthcoming white-ball series against Pakistan Shaheens and Big Bash teams.

Rony, who played two ODIs and 13 T20Is between 2016 and 2018, has been a consistent performer in the domestic circuit for years but has hardly been considered for the senior side or for other developmental teams in years.

The left-arm pacer last toured with the national team during a three-match T20I series against India in 2019 and since then, has been in the wilderness when it comes to playing for the Tigers in any format.

"It's an incredible opportunity for me. I think the opportunity arrived because I have consistently performed well in the domestic circuit," Rony told The Daily Star recently.

"If I can do well there, I can hope to make a comeback to the senior side. I will try my best to utilise the opportunity," said Rony, who previously toured Australia twice – first during the Under-19 World Cup in 2012 and then in 2018 with the HP Unit.

The fact that the national side already has two left-arm pacers in Mustafizur Rahman and Shoriful Islam in the mix works against Rony's chances of making a comeback.

To overcome this hurdle, Rony has been working on sharpening his batting skills as he believes that can help him stand out among his peers. His performances with the willow in recent domestic matches also show that this extra emphasis has not gone to waste.

During the 2023-24 season of the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, Rony, who emerged as the highest wicket-taker in the List A competition with 31 wickets in 16 matches, made 250 runs at a strike rate of 121.9 and scored two fifties for eventual runners-up Mohammedan Sporting Club.

"From the beginning of my career, I had a good command over batting. Earlier, I never put too much effort into it. But now, I have been trying to do well in this department alongside my bowling. It's very difficult right now to survive in Bangladesh cricket with only bowling," he said.

"In order to make a comeback to the national side, I think my batting is very important. I'm still working to improve my batting alongside my bowling. If I can do well in both departments, I can contribute much more for the team. I really enjoy the dual role and I think I need to hone this skill further.

"It has definitely become really tough to make a comeback to the national side. Our pacers have been doing very well. I think there is a healthy competition between the pacers which is good for the team. Those of us who are trying to break into the national team need to perform exceptionally well. We are enjoying this competition," he concluded.