Marshal Ayub followed Minhazul Abedin Nannu to become just the batsman to score more than a thousand runs in a calendar year in a Bangladesh cricket season. The stylish right hander was in Bangladesh’s Test squad for the tour of Sri Lanka earlier this year but did not make his debut.
Nonetheless, Marshal once again demonstrated the quality he offers by smashing an unbeaten 147 on the second day of the three-day practice match ahead of the New Zealand series in October. The right handed batsman came in at number three after most of the current national players had failed to make a mark and latched onto the opportunity as he struck 22 boundaries and two sixes in his innings.
“I took it as a great opportunity as the practice match is an important one for all the cricketers and I tried to play my natural game and luckily it paid off,” said Marshal.
Not yet satisfied, the batsman was looking to convert the performance into his third double hundred. “Definitely I would like make it a double century in this match and we still have a whole day left tomorrow (today) and Soumya is at the crease with me who is also batting well. I hope I can make it,” said Marshal.
Marshal was hoping to earn his Test debut in the upcoming New Zealand series. “It is a dream for every cricketer to play for his country and the same goes for me. I have performed earlier and have kept performing whenever I’ve had the chance. I am hopeful about the New Zealand series but it’s up to the selectors,” he said.
Last season, Marshal scored a phenomenal 1,064 runs with four hundreds – including two doubles.
“I worked hard after the premier league last year. I spent a lot of time in the nets and batted for hours with the bowling machine, which really helped me,” he explained.
Before that, Marshal, though not quite hitting such sublime heights had still been among the country’s top players. He was one of the top five batsmen in the 2011-12 premier league season with 575 runs as a member of Abahani Sporting Club. However, it was his first double hundred in the National Cricket League last year against the Chittagong Division which brought him national attention.
Recalling the innings, Marshal reflected, “After scoring hundred in the second day of the match, I was not even thinking of the double century, but next day when I crossed my previous highest score of 181 -which I also scored against the same team - I realized I should play for my double ton on the third day of the match.” He went on to add a second double hundred in the Franchise Cricket League against the North Zone.
The stellar performances earned Marshal a place on this year’s March tour of Sri Lanka as a replacement for the injured Shakib Al Hasan. However, he could not break into the final eleven after Bangladesh, buoyed by an exceptional performance in the first Test, chose to stay with the same team for the second match.
Marshal was not included in the ODI series and returned home without an international cap, but his recent form will give the selectors plenty to consider as Bangladesh head into what promises to be a difficult series against New Zealand.
