Published on 12:00 AM, August 21, 2014

No slow left-armer after a decade

No slow left-armer after a decade

There's no doubt that slow left-arm bowling is Bangladesh's forte. Right from the days of Enamul Haque and Mohammad Rafique to that of Abdur Razzak and Shakib Al Hasan, slow left-armers have always dominated Bangladesh's bowling attack.
However, the exclusion of Abdur Razzak in Bangladesh's playing eleven against the West Indies in Grenada yesterday has broken a long tradition for the Tigers in international cricket.
With Razzak excluded and ace-all rounder Shakib Al Hasan not touring, Bangladesh's bowling attack did not feature a slow left-arm bowler.   
The previous occasion that happened was eleven years ago, on February 26, 2003, during the ODI World Cup in South Africa. While Mohammad Rafique was included in the team, he injured himself while batting in the first innings and as a result could not bowl.
Excluding yesterday's ODI, Bangladesh have played 286 ODIs so far and slow left-armers have featured in 275 of those.
Other such instances include Bangladesh's tour of South Africa in October 2002. In that tour, Bangladesh played three ODIs without any left-arm spinners. Bangladesh's first five ODIs -- from 1986 to 1988 -- also did not feature any slow left-armer.
Razzak could consider himself a bit unlucky not to be included in yesterday's match since conditions at the National Stadium in Grenada were ideal for his turners.
Will the defeat compel the think-tank to act differently in the next ODI on Friday?