Time for another comeback?

Nasir Hossain's reaction to the news that he had been left out of Bangladesh's Test team, for the first time in his career, was quite a bitter one. “Let's distribute some sweets,” a sarcastic Nasir quipped last October after the selectors decided to include him in Bangladesh's second-string squad for an invitational tour of India instead of the Zimbabwe series.

After remarkably making the World Cup squad earlier this month, the player admitted that he had gone through an immense struggle following his exclusion. While his teammates were busy cruising their way to a thumping series win over Zimbabwe, all Nasir could do was sit in one of the enclosed offices of the BCB and watch them in anguish.

The media played their role and caught on to the news with synchronised headlines. Titles such as 'The end of the Finisher' and 'Finisher's finished' were pasted across several columns. Nasir's comeback seemed a lot more improbable after Sabbir Rahman put in a few good performances, highlighted by his mighty sixes, against Zimbabwe.

A series of good performances in the Super Six round of the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) however, changed his fortunes. In a clash between Abahani and Mohammedan, Nasir smacked three consecutive sixes when Abahani required 50-odd from their last four overs, changing the complexion of the game and finishing with a brilliant 81.

He followed that performance with a century a match later. He eventually became the only player in the World Cup squad who wasn't present during the Zimbabwe series.

According to Abahani coach Sarwar Imran, Nasir worked extremely hard to change his luck.

“When he was initially dropped from the national side and came to play in the league, he was really down. But when the Super Sixes began he took it upon himself to do well. As a coach you can't do much to motivate a player who has come this far. He needs to realise it himself and the fact that he did shows his calibre,” said Sarwar, who was also Nasir's coach in different age-level teams.

Imran believed that it was the 'finisher's' tag, given to Nasir by the media, that led to his downfall in 2014 and eventual exclusion from the Zimbabwe series.

“When he entered the national team, he was all smiles. There was little pressure on him. When nobody expected him to perform, he played well and gradually everyone started calling him a finisher. I personally feel that's what led to his downfall. He could not live up to that expectation,” said Sarwar.

Sarwar's statement stems from the fact that Nasir's batting average fell dramatically last year.

Between 2011 and 2013, Nasir's average of 43.1 surpassed every other player who played at least 10 matches in the same period. On the contrary, last year, he scored just 99 runs in four Tests, while averaging 20 in ODIs.

Having returned to the national team, Nasir remained cautiously optimistic.

“I performed in the DPL but there is a difference between that and international matches. I can only give the answer to your question when I perform in international matches,” said Nasir yesterday, when asked if he was confident of returning to his role as 'finisher' in the side.

“It was difficult before and it still is. To consistently perform at that position is not possible. If you play well in one or two games you will become a hero. There's a 50-50 chance for you to play well there. You have to get down and immediately score runs. It's good if you do, but if you can't… you understand how it works,” smiled Nasir.