Bangladesh off-spinner Sohag Gazi will leave here for the Metropolitan University in Cardiff, United Kingdom today to undergo tests on his bowling action on Friday. Gazi’s bowling action was recently questioned by match officials following the conclusion of the second one-day international against the West Indies last month.
Questions, however, have risen over a lack of support for the 23-year old on behalf of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) as the right-arm spinner has received very little assistance ever since he returned from the Caribbean on September 1.
It was learned that Gazi will be appearing for the bowling tests all by himself as no official from the BCB will be accompanying him. And prior to Gazi’s departure, BCB game development manager Nazmul Abedin Fahim worked on his action for a duration of only two days.
Gazi can count himself unlucky because when another Bangladesh spinner Abdur Razzak encountered a similar situation in 2008, the latter was accompanied by Nazmul.
Gazi complained that if he was provided support at the right time he might not have faced this scenario. “If someone had helped me on this issue six months back then I would not have faced this situation,” he said.
Nazmul also admitted that it would have been better for Gazi if he was afforded more support before his departure. “I was told to work with Gazi for two days. It would have been better if we got more time,” he said.
Alongside one defeat after another, Bangladesh’s woes in their ongoing tour of the West Indies took a turn for the worse as paceman Al Amin Hossain’s bowling action was also reported following the end of the first Test. Al Amin too will have to undergo tests on his bowling action within 21 days of being reported and Nazmul informed that there are some bowlers in domestic cricket as well who need to work on their bowling action.
BCB media committee chairman Jalal Younus had assured the board’s assistance towards both Gazi and Al Amin. However, if recent events are anything to go by, Gazi has been let down big time.
