Kayes returns to ODI fold after World Cup
He replaces injured Soumya
Sports Reporter
Opener Imrul Kayes reaped the rewards for his fluent 56 in the practice game against Zimbabwe by replacing injured Soumya Sarkar in the national team. It is the first time after the ICC Cricket World Cup in Australia-New Zealand that Kayes managed to get in the ODI fold. Meantime, he has been playing Test cricket continuously and remains the integral part of the team in longer version cricket.
Its really exciting news for me to back in the national fold again after the World Cup. I have been working hard to return to the ODI squad and did hard work. Eventually I managed to get in, said Imrul Kayes after the BCB XIs practice match against Zimbabwe yesterday at Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium. I had to fix some problems in order to qualify me for the ODI team again. Once I did it successfully, I started getting runs. During World Cup my performance wasnt up to the mark. So I decided to do extra work which paid a rich dividends, he informed.
Anamul Haque Bijoy was the other contender in replacing Soumya but Kayess Test performance alongside his fluent knock helped him to be chosen over Bijoy who also showed a good performance in the practice game by scoring 52 runs. Both Kayes and Bijoy were aware of that they could replace Soumya and both of them needed a healthy score to get the nod of selectors. Apparently it was clear they competed to score as much as possible after captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza sent them as opening pair.
Kayes however refused the competition between them during the match stating that he played only for the teams cause. There was nothing word like competition in my head and I was not engaged in any competition to prove myself. I did hard work and I knew the hard work will pay off. I just played my game and played for the teams cause.
Soumya, a key figure in Bangladeshs recent success was ruled out with the side strain for Bangladesh ODI and T20 series against Zimbabwe. BCBs senior physician Dr Debashis Chowdhury said: The player complained of discomfort while bowling during practice on Tuesday. An MRI result has confirmed a left side strain (internal/muscle). Such injuries take around 2 to 3 weeks to heal and therefore he will miss the matches against Zimbabwe.
We decided not to risk with him (Soumya) and give him the time to recover from the injury properly, said BCB chief selector Faruque Ahmed. The focus was also on ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza in BCB XIs practice game against Zimbabwe yesterday. Mashrafe has lately recovered from the dengue fever and needed a match practice to prove his fitness.
Though he was economical, the way he bowled doesnt look, he is fully fit for international match. Faruque however didnt want to comment with regards to Mashrafes possibility to play the first ODI, beginning Saturday. After playing the last ODI against South Africa, Mashrafe didnt get any scope to be involved in cricket playing. When anyone has been out of cricket for a long, he needs some time to get back his rhythm. Thats why he is given chance to play the practice match, Faruque commented on Mashrafe.
He is a professional cricketer and I hope he would understand his real condition. Hopefully he will get back his rhythm. But its too early to comment whether he would play the first ODI and whether Shakib will lead the side. Mashrafe is still ODI captain and a full day is left before the start of the first ODI. The team management is there. They will take a final call.
