Saifuddin repays selectors’ faith
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|| CF Correspondent ||
Bangladesh pace bowling all-rounder Mohammad Saifuddin proved his worth in his comeback series against Zimbabwe as he excelled with bat and ball in successive matches.
It came as a big surprise when 21-year-old was included in the 15-member ODI squad against Zimbabwe as he has not performed outstandingly in recent past.
Saifuddin debuted against South Africa in October 2017 while he played against Sri Lanka in the Tri-nation at home before being dumped from the ODI setup.
Selector reasoned out his inclusion as a change in plan that they have been forced to make since the injury of Shakib Al Hasan prompted them to try a bowling all-rounder instead of their tried-and-tested batting all-rounders at seven.
Earlier it was batsmen, who could bowl, ruled the roost as far as considering the number seven slot in the ODI setup is concerned before it was altered to make ways for Saifuddin.
The amount of confidence Steve Rhodes laid on the kid, whom he did not see to great extent, was nothing short of surprise as he mentioned to keep him ready for injury-prone Mashrafe Bin Mortaza if required while admitted that he believes him to be a good all-rounder.
“We think Saifuddin is a very good all-rounder. He has the ability to perform at the highest level. He has had a taste of international cricket. He has gone away, and came back into the team. We expect him to be more matured,” Rhodes told reporters ahead of the series.
“Mashrafe has had his injuries. He picked up an injury recently. We need to think about keeping someone ready as his replacement. We want to give Saifuddin some cricket so that he can be prepared,” he said.
“I like his approach and attitude and he looks stronger,” he added.
It looked the lanky pace-bowler repaid the faith of the coach and team management by grabbing the opportunity with both hands in the first two matches of the series.
His match saving maiden fifty in the opening-game gave hints of his batting exploits but what remained to be seen is whether he can keep his nerves when he gets down to bowl.
It became more imperative considering his past when often he was seen fumbling with the ball when he was required to keep his nerves and it happened on quite a few occasions, with the most famous one remaining the five sixes he was hit for by David Miller in a Twenty20 game against South Africa at their own den.
Saifuddin looked to be more prepared as far as displaying his bowling skill is concerned against the Zimbabwean side as he maintained a tight line and length while changing his pace to keep the opponent guessing. After earning the first breakthrough with the wicket of Masakadza, he finished with the most impressive figures of 3-45 for the home side.
