Imrul rises to the call

Imrul Kayes's position in Bangladesh's Test team for the Sri Lanka series, which is expected to be announced tomorrow, is in doubt as the Bangladesh Cricket Board's medical team have yet to deem him fit for the tour.

According to BCB chief selector Minhajul Abedin, the team management does not want to take any risk with Imrul following the bad experience that the team faced during the India series.

Imrul had just recovered from a muscle injury he had sustained during the New Zealand series when he went to play the lone Test in India. However, during the practice match, the left-hander hurt himself once again. Therefore this time around, the selectors want to be extra careful.

“It's difficult to tell how early he will be fit based on the reports of the physio. He should be playing a match [in the Bangladesh Cricket League] on Sunday. A lot will depend on that.

“It's not just his batting that we will focus on. He will need to prove his fielding as well. And it won't be enough if he fields at slips. He needs to move around and do some running as well,” explained Minhajul.

“So from that aspect, we feel that he will need to play at least two BCL matches to regain full fitness. Because if he goes to Sri Lanka and gets a muscle injury again, that will be bad. We already had a bad experience in Hyderabad and we want to give more focus this time,” he added.

Aside from that, Bangladesh's Test team isn't likely to see too many changes from the India series. Mustafizur Rahman, who has played a number of BCL games already, is likely to make his return. He himself had said that he was feeling confident about the Sri Lanka series and Minhajul, who had observed Mustafizur during the BCL games, echoed the left-hander's sentiments.

On another note, Minhajul and co will have a meeting with Test skipper Mushfiqur Rahim today. They are likely to discuss Mushfiqur's position in the team as a wicketkeeper.

“We will have a discussion on it tomorrow and we can let you know then,” said Minhajul, when asked if the management is planning to hand someone else the wicket-keeping gloves.

The camp for the tour is scheduled to begin on February 23. Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudllah Riyad and Tamim Iqbal, who have gone to the United Arab Emirates to take part in the Pakistan Super League, will join the players directly in Sri Lanka.

The ODI series is scheduled to begin on March 25, with the practice match set to take place on March 22. As such, the ODI team will be announced a little later.

Meanwhile, the team management will be waiting on Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, who had injured his thumb during the New Zealand series.

Back then the medical team had said that Mashrafe would be out for six weeks, which are about to come to an end today. 

Who wants to live under a cloud of uncertainty? The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), cricketers and fans are in an uncomfortable situation as the pay dispute between Cricket Australia and its players have left the two-match Test series between Bangladesh and Australia next month shrouded in uncertainty.

Similarly, left-handed batsman Imrul Kayes does not like the uncertainty surrounding his batting position. Imrul is not always sure whether he will get a chance to play a match regardless of form, and if it does happen then he is unsure which position he will need to bat in.

The southpaw is an opener but he has often batted at number three. He batted one-down in the last Test against Sri Lanka after playing as an opener against England at home and New Zealand at Wellington.

"It happens to everybody, not just me. I just want to give you an example. Say, you go to your office and find that your desk has been changed, how does it feel? You feel uncomfortable. It's not only in cricket but it happens everywhere," said Imrul while speaking to reporters at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.

However, rather than thinking about his batting position, 28-Test veteran Imrul was looking forward to a good showing against Australia.

There has been talk about whether the pay dispute in Australian cricket will be resolved before Australia's scheduled tour to Bangladesh but the common notion among cricket players and officials is that it is too early to think about the postponement of the series.

That is why many players started their preparations well before the start of the official camp from July 10.

Currently, the players are eagerly anticipating taking on the Aussies at home and Imrul believes that it is always a big opportunity for any player when he plays against a team like Australia.

"It's always a big opportunity for a player to play against Australia; we hardly get the opportunity to play against them. So, if we get the chance we will try to capitalise on this opportunity," said Imrul.

"We have a three-week camp before the Australia series which will be important for fitness. Our main aim is to achieve the best fitness and everybody is looking forward to doing well against Australia. At this moment I am not working on my batting because I did a lot with my batting; I will work on my fitness instead," he added.

Imrul also said that this team had no fear of pace bowling. "Every international team has a good pace attack and Australia is no exception.  Nobody is thinking about it because Bangladesh are good against pace attacks and everybody can handle [pace] well."

"Rather than thinking about opponents, our main objective will be to play our best cricket. We thought that England were a tough team but we gained a better understanding when we started to play against them in the last series, so the more important thing is to play according to your own plan rather than thinking about the opponents," he said, adding that a good start will be the key.

Bangladesh opener Imrul Kayes had to be stretchered off the field in the 13th over during the second innings of the first Test against New Zealand at Wellington today.

Imrul who had earlier earned the distinction of most dismissals by a sub keeper in an innings went down wincing in pain. Since he was hardly able to walk, the stretcher had to be pulled out of the ambulance parked beyond the boundary, and Imrul was taken away with a round of applause.

Imrul was retired hurt on 24. He faced 38 balls and struck two fours and a six during his stay at the wicket.

The left-hander, who stood behind the wicket for nearly five sessions in the absence of injured Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim, was taking a sharp single with a full stretch dive. He was in agony and was taken to a hospital where the X-Ray report confirmed that there was no fracture. But he was not in a position to walk without any support when he returned from the hospital at around 9pm.

A placard reading "We love you Miraz" held by a Bangladesh fan in the stands of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium yesterday reflected the trust the all-rounder has gained in recent times.

Never shy of taking on responsibilities, Mehedi Hasan Miraz has been skipper Shakib Al Hasan's go-to man as of late.

The 25-year-old once again showed his class in the Tigers' all-important World Cup 2023 opener against Afghanistan in Dharamshala yesterday, producing an all-round performance to guide Bangladesh to a convincing six-wicket win.

Miraz did the job with the ball first -- the off-spinner ended with figures of three for 25 in nine overs, including three maidens. The all-rounder then came in at number three for the first time in ODIs and went on to play a momentum-swinging 57-run knock off 73 deliveries.

It was Miraz's 97-run third-wicket stand with Najmul Hossain Shanto that saw Bangladesh recover from a precarious two for 27 in chase of a paltry 157-run target.

Miraz has often shied away from expressing his own philosophy, remaining in the shadow of the seniors despite having the potential to become the next big thing in Bangladesh cricket.

But it was a different Miraz attending the post-match presser yesterday. Bold, poised, and confident, it was as if Miraz's improvement as a genuine all-rounder had transformed his personality as well. An ever-smiling Miraz is now more confident and specific with his replies.

"I have worked really hard on my batting. I have thought long and hard about it, how I can improve my batting. I prepared myself really well. The team also gave me a lot of opportunities up the order. It is a big deal for me," said Miraz when asked about his mental preparedness in order to bat at any position asked.

In the past 12 months, Miraz batted at various positions -- from coming in at number nine to scoring a century while opening the innings against the same opposition in the last Asia Cup in September.

"Every position poses a different situation. I don't think too much whenever presented with an opportunity. If you think simply, it is better to bat anywhere above number eight. The team gets help if I play well. I face some problems but I don't focus on them. I have to perform well for the team, that's the most important thing," he added.

Miraz, however, admitted that he was nervous initially with the ball in hand after he gave away nine in his first over. But the off-spinner managed to make a comeback, pairing with Shakib to build pressure on the Afghans with some tight bowling.

"When the pacers weren't doing well at the top, it put the spinners under pressure. Shakib bhai got two wickets which boosted the team. We started bowling well from both ends. We didn't expect such a wicket in Dharamhsala, but we got the ball to turn in our first two or three overs. The ball stopped a bit. We shared this information with everyone, about how to bowl in this wicket. We had great communication throughout the game," said Miraz.

The all-rounder has always been handy with the ball in any format, but his recent transformation as a batter unsurprisingly brought the topic of him being the next Shakib in the making for Bangladesh. But for now, Miraz kept quiet on the matter, perhaps not thinking too much about it as well and focusing only on doing his job.

Rubel Hossain is known for blowing hot and cold in a career spanning over a decade. Prone to err in the death overs, the right-arm pacer with a slinging action perhaps bowled his best ten overs in the one-day international against India in the Asia Cup final on Friday. His figures of 10-2-26-2 was a demonstration of how well he bowled in Dubai. He had Ravindra Jadeja caught in the 48th over, which was his last over, to create that window for a late twist in a pulsating final that Bangladesh lost off the last ball of the game.