Tale of two call-ups
There have been two additions to the Bangladesh squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka that have attracted discussion, but the stories and identities of the two additions could not be more different. 17-year-old off-spinner Nayeem Hasan was named in the original 14-man squad on January 26, and he was seen as an example of the team management's forward-looking attitude at a time when Bangladesh were still contemplating the possibility of their first tri-series win the following day.
However, the Tigers' 79-run defeat in the final against Sri Lanka on January 27 carried the extra blow of the injury to Test captain and Bangladesh trump card Shakib Al Hasan that ruled him out of the first Test on January 31. That setback brought about the eleventh-hour inclusion of 35-year-old left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak -- a domestic institution who is the first Bangladeshi to pick 500 first-class wickets, but someone who has played only 12 Test matches and none since February 2014.
His inclusion may not seem like the most positive step, but Razzak -- a veteran of 153 ODIs in the national colours -- is considering the opportunity as a chance to reassert his credentials and do his best for the team in a time of need.
"The call was pretty unexpected I must say. But maybe it is the best time for me to be in the squad," said the spinner during the Tigers' practice session at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong yesterday.
"I think this should be remain as an example," Razzak said of his late-career recall. "There is never really an end; if you keep playing well the team will need you at one time or another. You have to wait for the opportunity."
Razzak admitted that it will be tough to fill the void left by Shakib.
"He is the best all-rounder of the world. You will need to take one bowler and one batsman to replace him. Even then, Shakib's mentality will be missing," said Razzak, but the experienced campaigner was not aiming to fill Shakib's shoes. "I don't plan to do anything extra or out of the ordinary. I will focus on my strengths."
At the opposite end of the spectrum is Nayeem, who rushed back from Bangladesh's ICC Under-19 World Cup quarterfinal loss against India in New Zealand on January 26 to join the team in Chittagong yesterday. His disappointment at the loss did not last long as he got the news every cricketer waits for.
"It felt good," Nayeem told reporters during training yesterday. "I was sad after losing the match [against India U-19s], but I was happy after getting the news of the call-up. Everyone encouraged me to do well here."
Nayeem was hoping to emulate another off-spinner who made it from the youth team to the Test squad nine months after the Under-19 World Cup and made a splash by taking five wickets on debut in Chittagong against England in 2016. "My plan was to try and get a call-up to the national team after the Under-19 World Cup, like [Mehedi Hasan] Miraz bhai did. But I got the call-up even earlier, and I did not expect that."
Nayeem is unusual in that he is a tall young man, and was initially a pacer but switched to spin upon the advice of his Academy seniors. "My strength is getting bounce from the surface; Bangladesh surfaces offer turn and you have to gauge the wicket. My strength is getting extra bounce."
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