De Kruif drafts in Raju

With just nine days left for the start of the SAFF Championship in Nepal, Bangladesh's Dutch coach Lodewijk de Kruif has drafted midfielder Monaem Khan Raju to his squad and excluded defenders Yeamin Ahmed Munna, Kesto Kumar Bosh and recently-called striker Aminur Rahman Sajib.
Midfielder Raju, who last played for the national team in the 2010 SA Games, apparently impressed Kruif after playing three successive practice matches against the national team. Raju along with Alamgir Kabir Rana played vital roles in midfield in Sheikh Jamal DC's 2-1 win over the national team on Wednesday. Raju can serve a dual role as back-up to vital midfielder Mamunul Islam, who sustained a knee injury in Wednesday's practice match. The inclusion of Raju increased the number of midfielders to six. Raju has a bright chance to travel with the national team though Kruif has yet to declare his final squad, which now has 22 members.
Kruif had earlier also picked up defender Rezaul Karim Reza, who remains with the squad.
Meanwhile, the Dutch has started to rest his players before the SAFF Championship after cutting his twice daily sessions to one.
The 43-year-old was disappointed with the performance of his charges against Sheikh Jamal DC. “It was a disappointing performance from the boys but a coach is always blamed for the failure of the team. I am well aware of that fact but I know what I am doing,” Kruif told reporters after the morning session at the Bangabandhu National Stadium. Having analysed Wednesday's practice match, Kruif found three reasons behind the defeat. He said that the backline of the national team played a bit of higher from their usual position and could not foil the counter-attack of the opponents, whose Haitian strikers were top class. Besides, his players failed to keep the momentum after the first 30 minutes, he added.