After being ignored and avoided in the two-match Test series at home against the West Indies, when the Tigers’ team management opted for just one seamer in the playing XI, there will be a lot of focus and emphasis on the pacers when the Bangladesh team take flight for New Zealand for three-match ODI and three-match T20I series starting from March 20.
The 20-member squad features seven seamers including Rubel Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Al Amin Hossain, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, and all-rounder Saif Uddin.
There are sky-high expectations that they will deliver on seam-friendly conditions in the limited-overs format, but a lack of match preparation and experience in utilising pace-friendly wickets has often left the Bangladesh pacers unable to extract the most from surfaces.
The Bangladesh team management will surely want to utilise the opportunity this time around but one of the most consistent and regular performers in the longest format, Abu Jayed, will not be a part of the fast-bowling contingent.
The right-arm pacer performed strongly in the second Test in Dhaka, where he bagged six wickets after being left out of the Dhaka Test and, more importantly, showed a lot of hunger and promise.
“I think it’s important for seamers to remain patient. This is the key to success for any fast bowler. Although I play the longest version, even when you play limited-overs cricket you need to bowl in the right areas consistently. Obviously, the batters want to go hard at you in the limited-over formats, where variations come into play for bowlers,” Jayed told The Daily Star.
“At times, pacers may get carried away when they see a lot of bounce and swing in the surface but it is essential to hit the right areas and utilise the bounce.”
Although Jayed is not part of the Tigers’ limited over set-up, the Sylhet native believes the Tigers’ pace attack has got variety with a blend of youth and experience that could play a big role in any condition.
“We have got a good bunch of fast bowlers at the moment. There are few youngsters who showed a lot of promise along with the likes of Taskin, Rubel and Mustafizur, who offer a lot of experience. I think we can be a good fast-bowling force in world cricket in the coming days,” he added.
