Imrul, Shafiul settling in

The emergence of Imrul Kayes as an assured presence over the summer is as much a revelation as Tamim Iqbal's assertiveness since 2007.
And as much as Kayes has surprised his detractors with his persistent showings, Shafiul Islam has impressed with his pace and subtle variation over the past eight months. But while the Tigers have stumbled in the latter stages of their tour to England, both flourished in matches and have a number of memories to cherish from this summer. Kayes picked his 75 at Lord's as his best in Tests while Shafiul said he would always look back at the victorious Bristol one-dayer to find inspiration for the future.
They also have their entrance into the national fold as a common thread: they are products of Dhaka league cricket and made it big only after at least two seasons of sustained performances.
While Shafiul has floundered at times, Kayes has seen almost as good days as that fourth day of that Lord's Test.
The left-hander from the quiet town of Meherpur finally materialised into a Test-level opener, and made sure that it is not just Tamim hogging the limelight. Although he averages a lowly 20 in the seven matches, he has added two century and four half-century stands.
"Tamim (Iqbal) plays the strokes when we open together so it allows me to settle down easily. I play quite defensively then," said Kayes from his Meherpur home.
Kayes got into the national team on the back of solid domestic scores over four to five years but it wasn't a smooth transition.
"I was quite disappointed with my debut and the first few months in the national team. I was dropped after playing three one-day matches and given a chance in Tests, I took the opportunity and made sure I worked hard enough to stay.
"It was important for me to settle into the national team at that stage and I think I have done that," he added.
Kayes's contribution in the longer version is still not substantial enough but he has admitted that he enjoys one-day cricket more, reflecting in his figures as Bangladesh's highest scorer in this version with 644 runs. And even as an opening partner, he has helped add four half-century partnerships with Tamim.
"You know I did well in one-day cricket in my domestic days and I actually enjoy this version a lot," said Kayes.
But he also talked about the pressure that comes while playing at the top-level. Kayes said that it is never easy for anyone coming into the national team.
"Playing for the country is never easy. When you play for the club or your division, nobody watches but when you play for Bangladesh, everybody is watching the matches. So there is pressure for everyone.
"They (the players) are all skilled, whoever plays for Bangladesh but they require mental toughness and they need a lot of help and support from the management," he explained, adding that Khaled Mahmud is his mentor in the national side.
And the assistance of Mahmud, the former national captain who operates as the assistant coach of the Tigers now, is also extended to paceman Shafiul.
After recovering from a career-threatening back injury in 2007-08, he made it to the national side this year. He spoke of Mahmud being an important influence in his days as an international player.
"Shujon bhai (Khaled Mahmud) has helped me a lot. He is very encouraging and always gives me belief. In our next camp, we will work on the leg-cutter as we both think that it is a skill that I should possess," said Shafiul.
The paceman who has taken 24 one-day wickets but sometimes concedes way too many runs, admitted that it hasn't been an easy ride thus far.
"It is necessary that I keep improving my game and work on my concentration," added Shafiul.
He echoed Kayes's approach of settling into the national side first.
"I felt a bit of pressure when I made my debut and knew that it was a major step for me. But as I started to play a few more games, everyone told me to settle into the side first so that I don't get dropped too easily," he said.
Still, there are many parts of the jigsaw puzzle that are yet to be filled for the Tigers but sometimes it is refreshing to see some of the bit-parts turning into important components.