‘I have no complaints, nor am I disappointed in myself’
Jaker Ali Anik came to the fore when he smashed three consecutive hundreds in the 2022-23 Bangladesh Cricket League, ending up as the leading run-getter of the tournament. The 25-year-old is one of the handful of local cricketers who have been able to show glimpses in the ongoing and the previous Bangladesh Premier League season for Comilla Victorians. Anik, whose exclusion from the Bangladesh T20 squad for the upcoming Sri Lanka series led to Comilla head coach Mohammad Salahuddin criticising the selection process, spoke about how playing for Bangladesh 'A' team and High-Performance team had helped his game and the way Pakistan's star wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan had an influence on him along with a few other topics during an interview with Mazhar Uddin of The Daily Star. The excerpts of the interview are as follows:
The Daily Star (DS): Did you prepare yourself specifically for the T20 format recently?
Jaker Ali Anik (JAA): I like all the formats. It's not that I target a specific format as I am always eager to give my best whether it's the longer version or T20s. But yes, I did take extra preparation for the BPL to improve my game.
DS: What is your mindset as a middle-order batter in the shortest format?
JAA: Basically, I am a coach-oriented player. Suppose, if we lost five wickets and my coach tells me to attack then I will attack from the very first ball. So, I always talk to my coach before I go out to bat. Even in the last game [against Khulna Tigers in which Anik scored an unbeaten 40], I got the feeling that I might be promoted up the order. And when the call was eventually made, the coach asked me whether I knew my plan and I said yes, 'It is to bat deep' and he said, 'Right'. Coaches like me because I think I know the game and what the situation demands.
DS: Many of your 2016 ICC Under-19 World Cup teammates have already established themselves in the national team. Where do you think you lagged and how did you work on your skills during this period?
JAA: I think I was not good enough during the Under-19 days and probably that is the reason I played just one game in the World Cup. They were better and that is the reason they were able to represent the national team. I have no complaints, nor am I disappointed in myself. I was not prepared back then and I feel I did not have the ability. But by the grace of almighty, I knew what areas I needed to work on and I have been following that step-by-step every year since then. And fortunately, things are going well for me now.
DS: You had a good run of form in the domestic circuit in the last few years. How did you prepare yourself before the start of this season?
JAA: The most important thing that season (2022-23) was that I played a lot of matches. Most probably, I have played around 26 matches, including matches for the Bangladesh 'A' team against the West Indies and India. That helped me gain courage and then I found first-class cricket very easy. Facing bowlers like Umesh Yadav and a few others from the West Indies national team helped me a lot when I went back to playing first-class cricket. Cricket is not an easy game but I was feeling comfortable in the domestic circuit as we were playing with the Duke ball or the Kookaburra ball. I was also able to play well on the grassy wickets.
DS: Do you believe playing more matches abroad -- be it for the 'A' team or the High-Performance team -- can act as a bridge for newcomers and help them adapt to international cricket?
JAA: I think the matches I played with the 'A' team helped me a lot. It had a huge impact on my overall improvement and performance in the BPL. I have been featuring for the 'A' team since 2019. I played against Afghanistan, faced West Indies both home and away, and also the India 'A' team during a tour to Tamil Nadu. To be honest, we don't face such bowlers in the domestic circuit regularly and when you face an unknown bowler and can score runs against them, it increases your confidence as a batter. So, playing matches for the 'A' team and the experience I gained has given me an idea about my game. It also gave me an idea of how tough international cricket is and what areas I should improve to adapt.
DS: Recently, your coach Mohammad Salahuddin expressed his disappointment over you not getting a national team call-up for the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka. Were you disappointed as well?
JAA: To be honest, no. I don't even think about these things as I always have faith in Allah and I believe when my time comes I will be in the right place. There is no scope of getting disappointed as my entire focus is now on BPL and whatever role I am given, I will try to fulfill that and contribute for Comilla and help clinch the title. I am also preparing myself for the upcoming Dhaka Premier League, so my focus is solely on these.
DS: As a wicketkeeper-batter, do you look up to any other cricketer?
JAA: I have always followed Mushfiqur Rahim bhai and he is my childhood idol and my jersey number is the biggest example of that. Recently, in the last two years, the way [Mohammad] Rizwan [of Pakistan] helped me is something I feel very lucky to have gotten. He has influenced me a lot and he taught me a few tricks that a cricketer hardly shares with anyone. He also reminded me to have faith in Allah and I think when I get such guidance from a world-class player like Rizwan bhai then it's like a cherry on top.