|| CF CORRESPONDENT ||

Bangladesh’s fiery pacer, Shoriful Islam, has been setting this year’s Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) ablaze with his stellar performances. Leading the wicket-taking charts [until 19th February, 2024] Shoriful's 22 scalps in 12 matches at a jaw-dropping average of 15.86 have been nothing short of sensational.

However, amidst Shoriful's personal triumphs, his franchise Duronto Dhaka's campaign in the BPL has been nothing short of a nightmare. Despite a promising start with an initial victory, the team stumbled, losing 11 consecutive matches, ultimately languishing at the bottom of the points table among the seven competing teams.

Understandably, Shoriful is disheartened by the team's dismal performance, lamenting the inability to clinch crucial victories for Dhaka. Despite his individual brilliance, the collective failure weighs heavily on his mind, emphasizing the importance of team success over personal accolades.

“If I think about it personally, it might feel a little better. But if I consider everyone's perspective, it won't certainly feel good. If we had performed well as a team, we could have made it to the playoffs, and I would have been much happier. Because then we would have had two more matches to play. Our team would have also gone to a better position. Although it feels a bit disappointing, having taken 22 wickets also feels good. I think everyone’s happiness mattered more than just mine” Shoriful said to Cricfrenzy.

Bangladesh's U19 World Cup winner Shoriful had the potential to secure a deal in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL).

However, he faced a setback as he didn't receive a no-objection certificate from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to participate in the biggest franchise league.

Alongside Shoriful, two other Bangladeshi pacers, Dhaka's skipper Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman, were initially enrolled for the IPL auction. However, the BCB later decided to withdraw Taskin and Shoriful, citing concerns about managing their workload ahead of the impending ICC T20 World Cup.

While Mustafizur emerged as the sole Bangladeshi cricketer to go under the hammer, eventually securing a spot with the Chennai Super Kings at his base price, many observers believed that Taskin and Shoriful could have garnered interest from various franchises.

Taskin had already expressed his disappointment at missing out on the IPL auction opportunity, highlighting his eagerness to showcase his skills on such a prestigious platform.

On the other hand, Shoriful appeared to maintain a composed demeanor, accepting the situation and remaining optimistic about future opportunities.

“See, everything is ultimately in the hands of Almighty Allah. If it's written in my destiny to play in the IPL, I will play; if not, then I won't. So, I'm not worrying about that right now.” Shoriful said.

Recently, frontline pacer Shoriful was new inclusion into the list of players who have been contracted for all three formats along with Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, Mehedi Hasan Miraz and new Tiger captain Najmul Hossain Shanto.

“Every pacer and cricketer dreams of being under central contract in all three formats, leading the country. In this case, I would say that I am very lucky and feel very good about myself. I can give good things in all three formats In Sha Allah.”