Talha surprise

GOOD THAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN A BREAK! Excluded duo Alok Kapali (L) and Tareq Aziz Khan (R) share a light moment while returning fast bowler Mashrafee-bin-Mortuza fixes his shoelace during a practice session at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday. PHOTO: Anisur Rahman

Fast bowler Talha Jubair was a surprise inclusion when the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) yesterday revealed its 13-member squad to face India in the opening Test of their two-match series as the home team dwelled on the prospect of playing a full-strength pace attack for the first time.

Fellow quick Mashrafee Bin Mortuza expectedly returned to the fold after convincing everyone that he had fully recovered from a career-threatening knee-injury which kept him away from all cricket for a year. 22-year-old Mashrafee has been virtually unplayable in the recently concluded Corporate Cricket League and also in the ongoing Dhaka Premier Division. However, Jubair's name as the third pacer behind Tapash Baishya was on nobody's mind as the 19-year-old had not made much of an impact since fighting his way back from a nagging back injury which also prevented him from playing for nearly two years.

The trio have never played a Test together but are widely regarded as the three best pacers of the country.

Chief selector Faruque Ahmed while announcing the team at a press conference, said the decision to take Jubair stemmed from India's prolific record against spinners.

"We have considered our opponents' strengths and the condition of the pitch. We thought pacers could be more effective than the spinners against the Indian batting line-up. We have also asked for a hard and bouncy track which also influenced our decision to keep three quick bowlers.

"Talha is a good Test bowler and we believe he can be effective in this series," explained Faruque.

Although left-arm spinner Enamul Haque (Jr.) was tipped to partner Mohammad Rafique, another left-arm spinner Manjarul Islam Rana got the final nod for his ability with the bat although his inclusion in the final XI will depend on Jubair's playing status.

Pacer Tareq Aziz Khan and middle order batsman Alok Kapali were the two others apart from Enamul to be dropped from the 13 in Bangladesh's last Test which was against New Zealand in October.

Captain Habibul Bashar made a welcome return to the side. The only Bangladeshi with over 2000 Test runs, Bashar had missed almost all international cricket since Septem-ber including the home Tests against New Zealand first due to an injury to his right-thumb and then a fractured toe.

But his comeback is not half as eventful as those of Mashrafee and Jubair.

The nippy Jubair shot into prominence after taking 14 wickets in his first six Tests. But having played the second match against touring West Indies in December 2002 in Chittagong, he broke down with a calf injury and then experienced repeated problems with his delicate back. Mashrafee was Bangladesh's fastest bowler before his knees gave way in dramatic style while bowling in the second Test against England in Chittagong in November 2003. It was the last of a series of freak injuries.

Faruque said they were very much aware that the two youngsters needed to be handled with extreme caution.

"We don't want to see another prolonged injury absence of these two. We are very careful about them," said Faruque which could be interpreted as a hint that there was only a slim chance of both playing in the same match.

In a significant development, the Board named former national captain and wicketkeeper Khaled Mashud as Bashar's deputy in the place of Rajin Saleh.

Faruque said that Saleh had not met the expectations of the selectors in his role as vice-captain and that is why it was necessary to hand over the responsibility to someone with experience like Mashud, who led the side against New Zealand in Bashar's absence.

"We had high expectations regarding Rajin's leadership quality but unfortunately he failed to deliver," said Faruque.

BCB's media committee chairman Reazuddin Al Mamun cleared the Board's position on Mashud. An inquiry committee on Bangladesh's debacle in the 2003 World Cup had recommended against giving the chirpy wicketkeeper, who had skippered the Tigers in South Africa, any leadership roles in the future for his alleged misconduct and indiscipline. But Mamun said the Board had an open mind.

"The Board had removed him as captain after the World Cup and he had some disciplinary problems at that time. But we are not rigid. We have observed Mashud and he seems to have overcome his negative traits. We also considered his bright performances in recent time," said Mamun.

Replying to a question Faruque said Alok Kapali missed out as he has not been consistent.

"Kapali made runs in the last league match which was good news but we hope he continues in the same vein.

First Test SQUAD
Habibul Bashar (captain), Khaled Mashud (wicketkeeper), Nafees Iqbal, Javed Omar, Mohammad Ashraful, Rajin Saleh, Aftab Ahmed, Mushfiqur Rahman, Mohammed Rafique, Tapash Baishya, Mashrafee Bin Mortuza, Talha Jubair and Manjarul Islam Rana.