Jubair makes case for more chances
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Jubair Hossain is perhaps the only Bangladeshi national player who finds it hard to get a domestic team to select him.
In the recently concluded Bangladesh Cricket League, the country's premier four-day competition, he got to play just one game despite the fact that he is a regular member of the Test side.
He played the opening game for Abahani Limited in Fatullah yesterday and finished with brilliant figures of six for 34, his best List A figures. As a result he may get to play a number of matches for Abahani this season, but things were different in the previous year, when he played just one game.
Teams in domestic cricket prefer slow left-armers who can skid the ball on the slow and low tracks and get wickets. As a result, Jubair was sidelined a number of times. Several local coaches also complained about his apparent lack of accuracy and the amount of runs that he leaked.
The 20-year-old leg-spinner is aware of the scenario and it therefore was not a surprise that after yesterday's performance, he just asked for one thing: more game time.
“I am going to try to be in the main team on a regular basis. Playing the Premier League matches is very important for me. Honesty speaking I get very little chance in domestic cricket,” Jubair told reporters.
“Today I got a chance and I managed to utilise that. I just hope I can hold on to this form,” he added.
Luckily for Jubair, the national team management values his talent. The likes of Chandika Hathurusingha and Co know exactly how dangerous a bowler he can become if he develops himself.
“Not just Hathurusingha, I get support from all the senior players in the national team. Everyone tries to give me confidence. And I try to continue proving myself. I am successful at times and then I am not. But honestly speaking I have gotten fewer chances,” said Jubair.
While Jubair did over-pitch the ball on a number of occasions yesterday, he troubled everyone with his googlies and was the chief destroyer.
“I think it's almost a given that a leg-spinner will bowl a few loose deliveries. Many a time they get wickets because of such loose balls. I tried my best not to bowl half-trackers. The good thing is that that didn't happen today. The more I play the better I will get,” he said, adding that his favourite wicket yesterday was that of Hamilton Masakadza, who was deceived by a googly.
The other player who stole the show yesterday was Gazi Group Cricketers opener Mahedi Hasan. Playing his first DPL match, he hammered 103 off 89 balls. He was the reason Gazi Group surpassed the 300-run mark.
“Mahedi is a good player. The best part about him is his ability to select the balls. He still has plenty to develop though. I think players like him should be taken under the high performance unit and only then will they be able to perform to their full potential,” said Gazi Group coach Mohammad Salahuddin.
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