Plan or panic in Razzak return?

Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak's inclusion in the squad for the first Test of the two-match series against Sri Lanka on Sunday has come as a surprise not only to the media and cricket fans but also to the player himself.

"Yes, there is reason to feel good but I was really surprised. I didn't even think about it this time and when I was informed I could not understand what was going on and whether everything was right," Razzak expressed his emotion about his recall to the national side yesterday at Chittagong.

Chief selector Minhajul Abedin however said yesterday during the Tigers' practice session at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong that Razzak's inclusion was not a sudden decision; rather the 35-year-old spinner came through a process and was part of the plan.

There was actually no clear logic from the former national skipper behind the inclusion of Razzak a day after another left-arm spinner in Sunzamul Islam and leg-spinner Tanbir Hayder were added to the squad for the first Test starting from January 31.

Whatever the reason, one can understand the difficulties the Bangladesh team management has been facing to formulate a strategy against Chandika Hathurusingha's charges in the absence of ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan.

The inclusion of six spinners -- Taijul Islam, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Sunzamul Islam, Razzak, Naeem Hasan, and Tanbir Hayder -- is an unusual move by the think-tank, but the most important question is whether Razzak's inclusion indicates any major changes in thinking about the Chittagong surface.

Khaled Mahmud, the man in charge in the capacity of technical director, confidently told The Daily Star during an exclusive interview before the tri-series that their ultimate target was to win the Test series 2-0. It is interesting to reread what he said. "We are dreaming of achieving a 2-0 result in the Test series against Sri Lanka and we are planning how to do that. Shakib and I talked about how we can do that. Our plan could totally fail, and we are aware of the criticism we may face if that happens, but we are willing to take that risk to win the Test series 2-0."

Unfortunately, Mahmud lost his main man to execute that plan and his partner in that risk and it would not be surprising if the home team employ defensive tactics and ask for a surface suited to that, and in that case Razzak may be a good option for them.

It is neither unusual nor unwarranted that the team management will be anxious about who will take the wickets on a Chittagong surface in the absence of Shakib, Bangladesh's highest Test wicket-taker.

It is however hardly a sign of a good team if its strategy and game plan completely fall to pieces in the absence of one player. There is no doubt that it is not easy to fill the void of a player like Shakib, but if Razzak's inclusion was a result of panic rather than part of the plan then it is an alarming sign for Bangladesh cricket.