The lack of a consistently successful opening pair might have been one of the reasons behind the Tigers' poor batting in the longer version of the game and it was evident in the second and last Test against India in Dhaka.

In a similar kind of situation, the confident arrival of left-handed opener Shahriar Nafees in September 2005 gave the side some relief.

But the 21-year-old's sudden loss of form not only put his place in the team at risk but also made the Bangladesh top-order vulnerable again.

The last year gave him almost everything, but 2007 has so far been a complete turn around, and Nafees must concentrate hard to win back what he has lost.

In 2006, he became the first Bangladeshi batsman to complete 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year, was adjudged the best batsman and player by the board which also gave him the responsibility of vice-captaincy.

The present situation leaves the young man with only one option: either get back among runs in Sri Lanka or face the consequences of failure. The harsh reality is he will probably lose his place from the national side.

Bangladesh's interim coach Shaun Williams tried to explain yesterday how the drastic fall really began.

The Australian coach thinks that there are a number of small issues combined behind the run drought.

"He (Nafees) is not only a quality player but also a smart guy. I think there are a number of factors but may be, may be one of the reasons was that the opponents studied him minutely after his good showing. He looked quite okay in the net and I am hopeful that he will return among runs soon," observed Williams.

Nafees, who hit a scintillating Test hundred (138) against Australia at Fatullah in April last year, agrees and believes that it is a big compliment for a player.

"It's a big factor. Most of the teams had no clue about my batting in the first two years but I think they scrutinised my batting once I got the spotlight, especially after making that century against Australia. I think it is a challenge for me and I should overcome it to reestablish myself," Nafees said.

The southpaw, who scored only 31 runs in his last seven one-day innings in the West Indies since making an unbeaten hundred against Bermuda, continued with the lean patch by scoring just 39 runs in four Test innings against India at home.

"Another major thing is that I have had some problem with the balancing of my body. I have been working on it and I think it would be okay in the coming series," said Nafees, who hardly looked at ease with footwork recently.

The tendency of playing too much shots even in Test matches have been blamed but Nafees has a different explanation.

"Basically most of us are stroke-players and I think it's not a problem for the national team. I don't find anything wrong about playing shots in the longer-version. There are some teams who love to play defensively in Test matches and some prefer aggressive batting, like Australia. The important thing is to avoid risky shots in the longer-version." "People are talking too much about my form because I raised their expectation with my performance. I am little bothered with my position in the national team because I am only 21. It is too early to be scared about my future. Experience is a factor in Test cricket and one can only mature at of 27 or above. Actually this lean patch gave me a chance to reassess my position and I am enjoying it," said Nafees who does not think that he is under pressure.

He also dismissed the whisperings that some disturbance in his personal life has hampered his performance.

"It's not true. Honestly speaking I am now leading a sound and stable life. Interestingly I performed well when I was in trouble."

Nafees, however, can take inspiration from his captain Mohammad Ashraful, who believes it is a matter of time that the left-hander would get back among runs.

"I don't think there is a big problem in his batting. Its just a matter of time to see Nafees return to form," said Ashraful, who was excited as the team managed to get some batting practice yesterday in the centre wicket at the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium despite heavy overnight rain and overcast conditions.