Kazi Shahadat Hossain aka Rajib made his debut for the Tigers nine years back after impressing the cricket arena with his pace and aggression. However, the 6’2’’ tall spearhead failed to keep the promise he staged early in his career and encounter injuries often which saw him fade away from the scene with time.
Shahadat, a part of the 32-man camp for the upcoming home series against Zimbabwe, admitted his fitness problem has been the major reason behind his downfall, but he is working hard and following a strict routine to get himself back on track.
The jolly character and a keen Real Madrid FC follower, Shahadat is aiming a return to the national fold and looks to pair up with Mashrafe bin Mortaza with the new ball in the upcoming home series. “I have changed as a person now and I am working hard and spending more time at gym and running.”
Shahadat was first spotted in a talent-spotting camp in his hometown Narayanganj from where he was sent to BKSP in his teenage for refinement. He made his first-class debut in 2004 and it took him only a year to wear the national jersey that also through a Test match against England at Lord’s.
“One thing I can say surely that I was never dropped from the Test side for my performance but for fitness. Even when Bangladesh team was passing a rough period I at least took a wicket for my side,” said Shahadat after the training session at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.
The 28-year-old, who few would have predicted that he would become the first Bangladeshi cricketer to have his name etched on the honours board at Lord’s, has been very injury prone during his 35-match Test career where he took 70 wickets with four five-wicket hauls.
In Bangladesh’s tour of England in 2010, he picked up 5 for 98 in England’s first innings of the first Test at Lord’s, but like he has always been – unpredictable – Shahadat followed the feat with just five wickets in his next 13 innings with eight of them going wicketless.
Bangladesh are not popular for producing great fast bowlers and simply a balanced routine should have been enough to see him permanently in the side. He slowly lost pace, lacked aggression and most of all the variations and swings went missing.
“It is totally my fault for where I am today as I never took the rehabilitation and fitness training seriously. And if I realized these two years back things would have different and I would have been playing in the national team now,” he said.