Inclusion of wicketkeeper-batter Anamul Haque Bijoy in the Asia Cup 2023 squad has triggered widespread criticism on the process of the national selection panel.
Right-handed batter Anamul got a surprise call to the Bangladesh One Day International fold as the replacement of opener Liton Das.
Bangladesh Cricket Board Wednesday ruled right-handed batter Liton out from the Asia Cup as the cricketer could not recover from viral fever.
Anamul took a flight to Colombo on the same day.
The national selection panel named Anamul as the replacement and this did not go down well with the majority in the cricket fraternity, given that he has not been part of the national set-up recently, was not part of the pool of backup players for the six-nation Asia Cup and also not in consideration for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 - set to start in a month’s time - which involves a pool of about 30 cricketers.
Anamul, with 834 runs in 16 innings was the second highest scorer of the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League this year, but for undisclosed disciplinary issues the BCB had kept the 30-year old away from the national set-up and was instead kept part of the ongoing Bangladesh Tigers camp in Chittagong.
“This absolutely doesn’t make any sense and questions the process of the selection. There is no doubt Anamul has the potential but despite being the highest scorer in the Dhaka League he was kept away for undisclosed reasons. Now all of a sudden, he is called to the team in Sri Lanka for the Asia Cup, so questions are bound to be raised,” said a member of the BCB requesting anonymity to Dhaka Tribune Wednesday.
“The question is, if he was that important and if you cannot find any better replacement than him, then he should have been kept part of the process. It is unfair to players who have been in contention and were kept as backup. It has been a bit unfair to top-order batters like Saif Hasan, who was named as standby for the Asia Cup. It simply doesn’t give out a good message,” he added.
Newly appointed ODI captain Shakib al Hasan in defense of Anamul’s selection said it was based on the fact that the team needed a wicketkeeper-batter to replace Liton.
Speaking to the media in Pallekele Wednesday, Shakib said, “If something happens to Mushfiqur [Rahim, regular wicket-keeper] during the game we will need someone to do the job. There is a regulation where a second wicket-keeper can take the field in case the regular keeper gets injured or there is a case of concussion. So, to fill those gaps, the team decided to bring in Anamul.
“We do not have an extra wicket-keeper in the squad so we had to take this call [of including Anamul in the team]. There is also the fact that Liton is a top-order batter and Anamul bats at the same position.”
Placed in Group B, Bangladesh in their first game of the Asia Cup will take on Sri Lanka in Pallekele Thursday.
The team will then travel to Pakistan for their second game against Afghanistan in Lahore Sunday.
