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Newly-included
national team cricketer Elias Sunny said he is eyeing to make a
permanent place in the Bangladesh team in all three formats despite a
fierce competition in the recent times.
Sunny is the latest addition
to the long list of left-arm spinners that Bangladesh unveiled on
Friday when they included him in the 14-man squad for the one off
Twenty20 match against West Indies in October.
‘I cannot express in words how happy I am,’ Sunny told New Age on Friday while giving his instant reaction after his call-up.
Elated
at his inclusion the all-rounder from Dhaka now aims to cement his
place in the national team rather than basking in his glory.
‘My aim is to play well if I get a chance and make a permanent place in the national side through my performance,’ said Sunny.
‘I know it is going to be extremely tough as the competition is very stiff,’ he said.
Elias,
26, is seasoned campaigner in Bangladesh’s domestic cricket for many
years, but it was not until he scored a 498 runs at 45.27 and took 24
wickets in the last National Cricket League that his name came under
consideration.
Sunny contributed immensely to help Dhaka clinch the trophy in the one-day format of NCL with his all-round performance.
He
scored 159 runs at an average of 26.50 and took 10 wickets, but more
notably played a match-winning unbeaten knock of 87 against Barisal in
the final.
In the recently concluded BCB Cup he claimed seven wickets
and scored 43 runs for Bangladesh A and followed it up with four
wickets in the just held four-day warm-up match.
Sunny said he was
grateful to all his family members who had given him relentless support
but remembered his first coach Shahjahan Hossain Shaju in his happiest
moment of life.
‘I played under different coaches at different stages
of my career but I deeply remember my coach Shaju who had given me
baptism in cricket,’ said Sunny.
Opener
Tamim Iqbal said on Thursday that receiving a copy of Wisden Cricketers
Almanack 2011, has brought mental peace to his somewhat disturbed life
and hoped it will boost him in the coming days.
Tamim
was handed a copy of Almanack by Bangladesh Cricket Board media
committee chairman Jalal Yunus minutes after he had smashed 77 off 87
balls to lead Bangladesh Red to a seven-wicket win over Bangladesh Green
in the four-day warm-up match.
‘Last
few months were tough for me for whatever had happened and I was
mentally disturbed for that,’ Tamim confessed to reporters.
‘I
was not being able to do the things that I could do with my bat the
earlier and that left me disturbed. Now I have got this award which
will surely inspire me,’ he said.
Tamim
was named as one of four cricketers of the year by Widen Almanack
earlier this year for his performance in the English summer in 2010.
His
latest summer, however, did not bring any good result for him as he was
forced to eat a humble pie in Zimbabwe in August and was subsequently
stripped of national team vice-captaincy.
He
was dismissed by Zimbabwean Brian Vitori in three consecutive innings
after he notoriously dubbed the left-arm pacer ‘ordinary bowler’ at end
of fourth day during the only Test of the series.
Tamim
scored only one fifty in Zimbabwe despite him having a start in quite a
few innings. He, however, started showing signs of regaining his form
when he scored two fifties in the BCB Cup before Thursday’s blast.
‘I won’t say I started very well but I think I batted well
after lunch and it is the way I should play,’ said Tamim of his Thursday’s innings.
‘Even
if I had got out earlier I would be satisfied because I like to bat in
this manner. Had I got out trying to play in a different way then I
would have felt worse,’ he said.
Tamim
also praised Imrul Kayes for returning to form as his opening partner
scored two fifties in the four-day match after going through a lean
patch lately.
‘We all knew that Imrul (Kayes) is a class player but somehow he could not score runs,’ said Tamim.
‘In the last two innings he really came back to form which I think will be a big bonus for us.’
