Chief selector Minhajul: Razzak inclusion was not done in a hurry

Chief Bangladesh selector Minhajul Abedin Nannu informed that the decision to select veteran left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak was not taken in a hurry, rather it was a processed decision. Bangladesh initially announced a 14-member squad for the first of two Test matches against Sri Lanka, starting Wednesday at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Cricket Stadium in the port city. Test captain Shakib al Hasan then got injured, following which spinners Sanjamul Islam and Tanbir Hayder were called up to the squad. Later, Razzak was also included Sunday. “Razzak’s inclusion was not done in a hurry. We followed a process. We always rely on our spinners while playing Tests in home condition. Razzak is an experienced cricketer. Shakib is injured. We thought, Sanjamul is new in Test cricket. As Razzak is playing domestic cricket for a long time and performing well, we decided to call him for the first Test. Obviously, if he was not in our plans, then how come he attended the first practice session? You can’t say we picked him suddenly,” Minhajul said to the media during Bangladesh’s practice session Monday. “We have two Tests in this series, that’s why we have picked 16 members. Sanjamul has not played any Test yet and Razzak has plenty of experience. Taijul [Islam] was not in good form in South Africa. That’s why we have picked extra spinners. Whoever will be in better position [Wednesday], we will consider him,” he added.

Bangladesh squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka starting on January 31.#BANvSL pic.twitter.com/E5go9WH4R2

— Bangladesh Cricket (@BCBtigers) January 29, 2018

The chief selector also informed that Razzak performing consistently in domestic cricket and getting called up to the national side is a message for the other players who are exhibiting impressive performances in recent years in the domestic arena. “Obviously, Razzak’s inclusion to the squad is a message to the players who are playing well in the domestic cricket. We have plenty of ‘A’ team matches in the upcoming years. So consistent performances in domestic cricket will create chances for the players in future,” said Minhajul. Bangladesh now have six spinners in the squad in the form of Razzak, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Sanjamul, Tanbir, Taijul and the uncapped Nayeem Hasan. When queried about the number of spinners in the squad, Minhajul said the slow bowlers were selected in accordance with the team’s requirement. “Where are so many? There are four spinners. Often three spinners play for us. We will do whatever is needed for the team. We want to win this Test. We want to play good cricket. So we are planning accordingly,” Minhajul concluded.