Picking injury returnee Saifuddin was risky, says Shanto  

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said it was necessary to include batter-keeper Jaker Ali Anik in place of injured off-spinner Aliss Al Islam in Bangladesh squad for their three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka at home, beginning on Monday.

The new all-format captain of the Tigers also explained why a bowling all-rounder in Mohammad Saifuddin did not make the cut despite having impressed in the recently concluded Bangladesh Premier League. 

In the BPL final, Jaker and Saifuddin featured for Comilla Victorians and eventual winners Fortune Barishal, respectively, and the duo's performance throughout the tournament had exceeded expectations; considering how they fared under pressure situations.

Shanto, however, feels that since Bangladesh possess as many as five openers in their squad, leading to an absence of middle-order batting options other than Mahmudullah Riyad and Towhid Hridoy, Jaker's inclusion is justified.

"We have enough spinners. Rishad [Hossain] is bowling well. The reason to take Jaker Ali is because, I think, the team need a middle-order batter. All selectors and coaches felt that another middle-order batter was required, and that's what led to Zaker's inclusion," Shanto told reporters on Sunday, during the pre-match presser.

While Jaker's impactful cameos were crucial behind Comilla's run to the final, Saifuddin, on the other hand -- who last played for the Tigers in 2022 before injury sidelined him -- became one of the unsung heroes for Barishal. Saifuddin's 15 scalps in nine games saw him climb into the top five of wicket-takers, and he also showed glimpses of his aggressive batting lower down the order.

Saifuddin's bowling prowess at the death had placed him in the limelight, especially after how he refused to let Comilla batter Andre Russel unleash by peppering the hard-hitting West Indies batter with one yorker after another in the innings' last over, eventually becoming a turning point in the title-decider.

While Saifuddin death-over bowling could have been an asset to the team, roping him in would have been "risky", as far as the physios are concerned, informed Shanto.  

"What I feel about Saifuddin is that he performed very well after returning from injury. But him playing such a series after coming back from injury, all of our physios felt it would be risky. Hopefully he will continue like this, and there is a DPL [Dhaka Premier League] ahead, then there will be opportunities," said Shanto.