A fulfilling knock
It was a test of character for wicketkeeper-batsman Anamul Haque Bijoy as he registered his maiden double hundred on the final day of Khulna Division's National Cricket League match against Rangpur Division at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in Khulna, which ended in a draw yesterday.
The right-hander smashed Rangpur's left-arm spinner Sohrawardi Shuvo to the boundary to reach the landmark and he celebrated the 41st double hundred in Bangladesh's first class competition with vigour. Anamul had previously come agonisingly close to the landmark five years ago before being dismissed on 193 against Dhaka Metro.
The 24-year-old displayed tremendous maturity and temperament in a stop-start game in Khulna, where rain had interrupted the better part of the match. Anamul came to bat in the second session of the second day and reached his fifty off 58 balls before going on to smash his 13th first class century 100 balls later on the same day after Rangpur had posted a massive 471 before being bowled out in their first innings.
The cricketer from Kushtia was unbeaten on 172 after rain had allowed only 39 overs of play on the third day, but the wait was worth it as he reached the magic figure within the first hour of the fourth day after facing 330 balls.
Anamul was finally dismissed after scoring 216 runs off 356 deliveries in the marathon eight-hour innings, having struck 18 fours and two sixes before being trapped leg before by off-spinner Nasir Hossain. However, his innings enabled Khulna to take the all-important first innings lead before declaring on 495 for nine.
According to Anamul, it was his best knock in first class competitions, especially considering that it was difficult for him to remain focused for long periods as rain interrupted the match a few times while he was at the crease.
"To be honest it was a tough ask for me to keep my concentration levels high as there were frequent breaks in the game due to rain. But I am happy with the way I approached the innings. I think my patience has improved a lot. This is an area I was willing to improve on and luckily I got the result at the start of the season," Anamul told The Daily Star yesterday.
The wicket-keeper batsman played his last international game during the ICC World Cup in 2015, where he had injured his shoulder while fielding, and has been unable to stage a comeback to the national team since.
BCB president Nazmul Hassan had earlier stated that the wicketkeeper-batsman was among the contenders for a place in the national team before the squad for the South Africa tour was announced, but ultimately he did not find a place.
However, Anamul informed that he was not thinking of the national team but instead looking to concentrate only on his performances.
"At the moment I am only focusing on my game and I don't want to think about anything else. I used to think a lot about staging a comeback to the national team before, but that put extra pressure on me. So I have decided to keep improving my game and the rest is up to Allah," he concluded.
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