From the sidelines, he has been keeping a keen eye on players like Jishan Alam and Nurul Hasan Sohan. The ‘A’ team has long been regarded as the stepping stone to the national side.
That is why the tournament holds great significance for the players involved. Performances here could well pave the way for the likes of Saif Hasan, Sohan, and Afif Hossain Dhrubo to make a return to the national setup. Abdur Razzak himself is in Australia to assess their performances.
Speaking to Cricfrenzy midway through the tournament, the national selector stated that every player in the ‘A’ team has a chance of earning a call-up.
“This is our ‘A’ team, and everyone here has the opportunity to play for the national side. Whoever plays here has been selected because we believe they have the potential,” said Razzak.
He also expressed his admiration for several individual performances, particularly highlighting opener Jishan Alam’s batting. Jishan struck a superb 73 off 46 balls against Nepal, an innings Razzak felt was crucial in giving Bangladesh ‘A’ a competitive total.
“Jishan batted really well in the last match. Even in the first game, his start was excellent. He played his natural game, and in the last match, he scored big. It was mainly because of him that we managed to post such a strong total,” he explained.
Apart from Jishan, Razzak was also pleased with the batting of Afif Hossain and Saif. Left-handed opener Naim Sheikh, who recently returned to Bangladesh’s T20I squad but has yet to make a strong impact, also earned a mention.
With the Asia Cup looming, questions remain over Naim’s place, though Razzak sounded optimistic. “Everyone is making runs here and there—Afif batted well, Saif did reasonably, and Naim gave us a good start,” he noted.
Among the players drawing the most attention is Sohan. Rumours of his return to the national side circulated before the Sri Lanka series, but he was left out.
Instead, he featured in the Global Super League before missing out again in the Pakistan series. Under his leadership, Rangpur Riders finished runners-up in that tournament, and he has since earned a place in the preliminary squad for the Netherlands series.
Razzak also praised Sohan’s captaincy, even hinting at his future leadership prospects with the national team. “He is currently outside the national team, and no one becomes captain the moment they step back in. But he has leadership qualities. If the right opportunities arise, he is certainly capable of captaining Bangladesh,” said Razzak.
