From a duck to a call from the PM
The very first ball that 19-year-old Afif Hossain faced in his second T20I yesterday -- that too after a one-year gap since scoring a duck on his debut against Sri Lanka -- the left-hander smoked for a boundary over pacer Neville Madziva's head.
That clearly outlined his intentions. He was not going to reel in his instincts despite the fact that Bangladesh were reeling on 60 for six inside ten overs in chase of 145. Instead, Afif launched a pulverising counterattack.
"I was only thinking of reading the situation and trying to bat accordingly," was how Afif replied when asked what he was thinking when he walked out to bat at that critical time.
Whether it was a conventional stroke or a bit of improvisation, such as a late cut just beside the wicketkeeper or even a scoop shot on his knees to a fast bowler -- the youngster was brimming with confidence.
Afif recorded his maiden T20I fifty before he was eventually dismissed for a 26-ball 52, but by then the Tigers were just three runs away from their target and a much-needed win following dismal showings in recent times.
He and Mosaddek Hossain added a match-winning 82-run seventh-wicket stand that helped Bangladesh start the tri-series on a winning not.
But a rather mature Afif did not seem overexuberant despite getting a phone call from the Prime Minister after his brilliant performance.
In the year since making his T20I debut, Afif has been a regular performer for the High Performance (HP) team, with the highlight being an unbeaten century against the Sri Lankan Emerging team in Cox's Bazar. He was also denied a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the Caribbean Premier League. However, he said he was not thinking of anything beyond performing regardless of the level of cricket.
"I was dropped from the national team, but I did not want to think about it. I waited my turn and whenever I get a chance, I try to give my best and make a comeback. I tried to play well in the HP and A-team games and those were part of my preparation," he said.
According to Afif, skipper Shakib Al Hasan gave him the freedom to play his normal game, which helped him remain confident. However, he expressed disappointed at not being able to finish off the game and remain unbeaten at the end.
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