||CF Correspondent||

Bangladesh seem to have come past their previous stance of not considering players in their 30s for the national team thanks to their recent concerns about fitness. Abdur Razzak’s inclusion in the Test team earlier this year and Fazle Mahmud’s recent maiden national call-up has sent a clear message to the ‘old cricketers’ who have given up on the possibilities of playing for the national side.

According to BCB selector Habibul Bashar, they have prioritized fitness over age while considering cricketers for the ODI squad. With Shakib Al Hasan out due to injury, they were also looking for someone who can bat effectively at the top or in the middle-order and can bowl as well. And Fazle Mahmud, who is currently in a great form, ticks all the necessary boxes.

Bashar said: “His career is quite interesting. He was in our HP squad five or six years ago. He was a very promising star back then. But then was out of form. He was among the runs in domestic cricket.

“He has changed a lot in the last three years. There have been many changes in his game. He is very mature now. I saw him batting very well during the A team’s tour [of Ireland]. He is a bit too old [for debuting]; we rarely see such cases, but his fitness is very good.

“We needed a batsman and he can bowl too, albeit not like Shakib Al Hasan. We have seen, his bowling is very effective. That's why he was considered. And I think actually 30 years is not too much nowadays, maybe it is for the start. But now he has many years left [in him].”

With a blend of new players and experienced members of the team, Bangladesh will take on Zimbabwe in a three-match series from October 21 onwards.

Losing two of their most experienced players to injuries, the team management once again exhibited their change in mentality and the older players are also doing well in maintaining fitness instead of looking at the domestic competitions as means to securely spend the rest of their playing careers.