Sunny wins Test place

The national selectors made major changes, brining in one fresh face in Elias Sunny when they announced the 14-member Bangladesh team for the two-match Test series against the visiting West Indies yesterday.
As expected the axe fell on the two enigmas of Bangladesh cricket Mohammad Ashraful and Alok Kapali and also the experienced left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, who was replaced by Sunny. Sunny has got the nod because of his impressive all-round performance in the domestic competition over the last few seasons.
Pacer Shafiul Islam was also dropped from the Test side because of an ankle injury.
Vice-captain Mahmudullah Riyad has still not recovered full fitness after being struck down by fever. He will miss the first Test, but it is hoped he will recover in time for the second Test.
The first Test will start from October 21 at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong while the second and final Test will kick off from October 29 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.
Ashraful's omission paves the way for middle-order batsman Rokibul Hasan while pacer Shahadat Hossain was included in place of Shafiul Islam.
According to chief selector Akram Khan the changes were inevitable because of the poor showing of some players in the just concluded one-day series, which the visitors won 2-1.
“We were compelled to make major changes to the team. The changes were not dictated by the conditions or the opposition but the poor performances of some players,” explained Akram.
The former national skipper said that he believes Ashraful needs a long break before regaining his place in the team.
“I have hardly any doubt about his talent but the reality is that he failed to justify his talent. He has got enough opportunities to prove his worth, but unfortunately he failed to deliver. He needs a long break so that he can think about his problem,” said Akram.
“One has to take responsibility when he bats in the top four but Ashraful failed to do it. It's the same for Kapali. It looks nice to see Kapali batting but it's only for 15 to 20 runs; we need a batsman who can stay at the crease for a long time,” continued Akram.
Many might raise eyebrows at Rokibul getting back his place in the team because he has hardly done anything with the bat since he had been dropped from the team for poor form.
“What we felt was that he looked good and he has got the quality to spend time at the crease and we need this kind of batsman for the number three/four position. That's the reason we picked him again,” defended Akram.
The chief selector also said that they have decided to give Abdur Razzak a rest as the left-arm spinner was inconsistent in his bowling.
“Still we believe that Razzak is the number one spinner in our country but he was inconsistent in his performance in recent times and that's why we gave him a rest,” added Akram.
Junaed Siddiqui and Robiul Islam were in the squad when the Tigers last played a Test, against Zimbabwe in August, but they could not find a place in the current squad.
SQUAD
Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Shakib Al Hasan, Rokibul Hassan, Naeem Islam, Nasir Hossain, Shahriar Nafees, Rubel Hossain, Nazmul Hossain, Shahadat Hossain, Sohrawardi Shuvo, Shuvogata Hom and Mohammad Elias.