'Boss told me to play freely'

Bangladesh opener Imrul Kayes thanks the heavens after reaching half century against Zimbabwe in the second one-dayer at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday. The Tigers eventually won the match by 58 runs to take a 2-0 winning lead in the three-match series. PHOTO: FIROZ AHMED

Imrul Kayes might not have scored a century, but his cautious 76 reflects a success story. Here's a man who hasn't traditionally been favoured but has constantly tried hard at every little opportunity he received.

The results are already obvious in the Test arena, with Imrul having become a regular member of the longer version team. And with the way he batted yesterday, who knows what's in store for him in the future? It won't be a surprise if he manages to claw his way back into the ODI eleven.

Having come into the game with seven consecutive single digit scores, Imrul admitted that he was under pressure and he thanked his skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza for helping him calm down.

“There was a bit of pressure on me and later my boss [Mashrafe] told me a number of things that really inspired me.

“He asked me to take this match easily and not to worry too much. He said 'you aren't going to die if you score a zero and even if you do, it doesn't matter.' I just think those words helped my mood a lot,” said Imrul, during the post-match press conference in Mirpur yesterday.

Describing his innings, Imrul said that he was a bit nervous at the start but once he got past the 30-run mark, he began playing like he normally does in domestic cricket.

Imrul, who got this opportunity due to injury to Soumya Sarkar and the absence of Shakib Al Hasan, considered himself extremely lucky.

“I think every comeback is important for me. I knew I was really fortunate to get this chance and I wanted to make the most of it. However, I did get out at a bad time when there was pressure on the team. Next time I'll try to correct that,” explained Imrul.

The other game-changer was Al-Amin Hossain, who put in his best performance in international circuit since his return to the team, and Mashrafe praised the bowler's confidence level.

“Before the chucking allegations against Al-Amin, he was Bangladesh's best bowler. He got a break in his life and that can happen to anyone. There's a lot of mental stress at that point of time and I think he has come back well.

“He was mature on the field. The two bouncers that he bowled to remove the two batsmen [Sikandar Raza and Elton Chigumbura] were crucial and the idea came from him. The field was set well for him and he bowled accurately,” said Mashrafe.

The skipper further admitted that it was a bit of a challenge for the team management to form an eleven without Shakib.

“The way he [Shakib] bats and bowls unbelievably well, it becomes difficult to balance the team [without him]. And since he has played most of the matches for Bangladesh, thinking of a team without him is a bit of a new idea,” said Mashrafe.

While the skipper was happy to ace the series, he was a bit disappointed with the way the batters performed. Bangladesh lost early wickets in both the ODIs and it's not something that impressed the skipper.