Committed to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW
Vol. 5 Num 360 Thu. June 02, 2005  
   
Sports


Enamul and Shahadat coming back


The Bangladesh selectors were yet to announce the team for the second Test, but even before they make it public one thing is for sure that young left-arm spinner Enamul Haque will be heading home along with two other cricketers when the match starts at the Riverside ground on Friday.

The selectors picked Enamul in the 16-man squad as an alternative to experienced Mohammad Rafique. But after he had featured in two warm-up games, where he had struggled, he was ignored for the first Test at Lord's.

And given the conditions here, where the pace bowlers usually call all the shots, Bangladesh are also set to go with one spinner. Rafique bowled well at Lord's and the leading wicket-taker of the country is also likely to share the bulk of the bowling like the first Test, where he bowled 42 overs.

The other two cricketers leaving with Enamul are young paceman Shahadat Hossain, who made his Test debut at Lord's, and fellow paceman Talha Jubair who sat out the first Test.

Shahadat promised a lot in the practice matches, but he had forgettable experience at Lord's, where he finished the most expensive among the Bangladeshi bowlers.

Two more players will be leaving after the Test series. One of them is opener Javed Omar. Earlier, Mushfiqur Rahim was to return after the Tests, but selectors are now thinking to keep him for the one-day series that also involves Australia.

Meanwhile, four cricketers -- all-rounder Khaled Mahmud, Tushar Imran, Manzarul Islam and Nazmul Hossain -- will be flying in England on July 3.