The quiet workhorse
While Hemanta Vincent Biswas and Sohel Rana hogged all the limelight during the 1-0 win against Sri Lanka on Monday, there was but a single player who went about his job, like he usually does, ever so quietly and effectively.
Jamal Bhuiyan, the 25-year-old defensive midfielder, put on a stellar performance without raising the rafters at the big bowl. As the nerves jangled around him, Jamal restored the solidity in midfield; providing numerous passes and covering for the space left open by the advancing midfielders while hardly taking a false touch.
Sri Lanka coach Nikola Kavazovic dubbed him as the best defensive midfielder in South Asia, but by and large, his efforts earned little space in the media.
There may be a good reason for it too. It could be because of the way the midfielder operates on the pitch. It could also be because of his face evading nature. The so-called 'water-carrier' is visibly unstylish and doesn't mind getting dirty for the team, but at the end of the day, he plays an enormous role in making sure the balance of the team is not disturbed.
“The way Jamal (Bhuiyan) plays his game; he is very important for us. What Roy Keane does for Ireland or Nigel de Jong for Netherlands, Jamal does the same for Bangladesh,” coach Lodewijk de Kruif, who selected Jamal from a trial two years ago, analysed his protégé.
Now what does Jamal do so well that it makes him an obvious choice while there are apparently more technically gifted players available in similar positions who have to wait in the wings? De Kruif feels it is Jamal's ability to cut out the game of the opposition and initiate attacks from a deeper position which stands out amongst his peers.
“When you have creative players like Mamunul (Islam) and Hemanta (Vincent Biswas) in midfield, you need to have someone alongside them to play as cover, to build up play with one or two passes, to destroy the opposition's game. That is what Jamal does best,” De Kruif explains.
Since making his debut for the national team during the SAFF Championship in 2013, the Denmark-born midfielder has taken part in all the 14 matches for the senior national team and the U-23 team, and has improved with each game.
Jamal himself believes there are certain aspects of his game – the ability to deliver long balls over the opposition's defence and diagonal ones aiming for the wings – which need improvement. One reckons that if he does manage to integrate those aspects into his game more accurately and consistently, Jamal will be able to elevate himself to a whole new level.
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