SUNNY HAS COME TO STAY

 

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.

WISDEN COPY BRINGS PEACE FOR TAMIM

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.’