5 Bangladesh cricketers who did not get enough chances under Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib Al Hasan made his white-ball debut in 2006 and then forayed into the Test format in the following year. Looking at his talent and form, Shakib was given an opportunity to lead the team in the ODI and Test format. Although his red-ball stint lasted few Tests, he went on to captain Tigers in 50 ODI matches until 2015. Afterwards, the likes of Mashrafe Mortaza, Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim donned the role for the national team. Meanwhile, there were some players who did not get enough opportunities during Shakib’s tenure. It may be linked to their contributions, team combinations and playing style, which did not correlate perfectly with the national setup. All of them had steady careers but soon were dropped from the team. 5 Bangladesh cricketers who did not get enough chances under Shakib Al Hasan: 1. Shahriar Nafees The elegant top-order batter made his ODI debut against England in June 2005. He then churned out runs in a consistent manner and provided a stable start to the team. He hit his maiden century during a knock of 118* against Zimbabwe in 2006. Two years later, he hit 228 runs in four innings against Ireland. During the 2010-11 period, he finally scored against teams like Australia and New Zealand. But he could garner only 39 runs in three innings against Pakistan, which turned out to be his last appearance in this format. Despite producing impressive throughout his career in the 50-over format, Nafees was never called back to the ODI side. He slammed 2201 runs in 75 appearances, including four centuries. In 2021, he joined as a deputy manager of the Bangladesh Cricket Board's cricket operation. 2. Imrul Kayes The talented left-handed batter had a solid technique and ability to play big innings in pressure situations. He made his ODI debut against New Zealand in October 2008, before getting dropped soon. He returned in 2010 and hit his maiden century against the Kiwi team and cemented his place in the national side. In six games of the 2011 World Cup, the southpaw returned as the top contributor for the team with 188 runs. However, later in the year, he lost his place on the side with 53 runs in three innings against West Indies. Kayes made a comeback after three years and scored 59 against Pakistan. However, he sustained a string of low scores, and delivered some good knocks against Zimbabwe. Nevertheless, he made only limited appearances until 2018 and finished with 2434 runs in 78 matches. 3. Shafiul Islam Shafiul made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka under Shakib’s captaincy in 2010, returning with a single wicket. In his next outing in the series against New Zealand, the right-arm pacer was the most successful bowler for Bangladesh with seven scalps in three games. In 2011, he picked 21 wickets in 20 matches in the format. Although he did not secure enough wickets, the economy rate was fine. Although he proved to be successful in the West Indies and Zimbabwe in 2012-13, Shafiul was dropped from the team. He then played a few more matches until 2020 and scalped 70 wickets in 60 ODIs, with the best figures of 2/21. Currently, he features in domestic white-ball tournaments for Dhaka and Legends of Rupganj. 4. Shahadat Hossain The tall fast bowler set foot on the international stage in 2005 and played his first ODI in 2006. After taking nine wickets in three games against Zimbabwe, Shahadat was given a longer rope in the national team. He picked six wickets in five games in 2008 Asia Cup. After being dropped later in the same year, he returned in 2010. Despite picking three wickets against a strong Pakistan team in the Asia Cup, the talented pacer could not extend his career. In 51 ODIs, Shahadat took 47 wickets at an economy of 5.84. He last featured for Bangladesh in a Test against Pakistan in 2015. Earlier this year, he led the Bangladesh Legends in the Road Safety World Series. 5. Sunny Arafat The talented spinner made his first-class debut in 2001-02 season. However, it took him time to finally earn a national call-up. It was partly due to the presence of a left-handed spinner and Shakib in the side, which delayed his arrival on the international stage. Sunny Arafat made his ODI debut in February 2014 and finished with figures of 2/31 against Sri Lanka. Later in the same year, Arafat took a total of 10 wickets in the home series against Zimbabwe and made a strong claim in the national team. Arafat then managed to pick eight wickets in as many appearances in 2015, which could not prove to be enough for the selectors. In 16 games, he took 24 wickets at an efficient economy of 4.33.

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5 Bangladesh cricketers who did not get enough chances under Shakib Al Hasan

These cricketers were unlucky in getting enough opportunities, with Shakib Al Hasan at the helm.

5. Sunny Arafat

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