Not hopeful about any particular individual'

National selector Abdur Razzak is going to West Indies with the Bangladesh ‘A’ team, who will play two four-day matches and three One-Day matches there.

A good number of cricketers in the team such as Soumya Sarkar, Saif Hasan, Mohammad Naim, and Mohammad Mithun, have a decent amount of experience in the international arena for the national team.

On the other hand, cricketers like Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, Zaker Ali Anik, and Zakir Hasan are pushing for the next level.

For cricketers like Sabbir Rahman and Soumya, the tour could be one of the most significant opportunities to earn a comeback to the national team.

After the ICC T20 World Cup in UAE in 2021, the selectors overlooked Soumya due to his poor performance.

Mithun also hasn’t played for Bangladesh since July 2021. He also served the national team in all three formats.

Razzak said that these cricketers should play to save their careers.

“I am not hopeful about any particular individual. These players must play for their careers. They must perform for themselves. My job is to count their performances as a selector,” he told The Business Post.

Soumya was once a blue-eyed boy of the team management and was carried with the team despite his poor form.

Razzak said, “Even before making it to the national or World Cup team, Soumya did not do wonders. At that time, we thought that we needed someone like him on the team. Sometimes, we fall for greed. We expect that someone will perform outstandingly. But we must limit our expectations as well.”

The national team, in their recent series against West Indies, performed poorly in Tests and Twenty20 internationals. Razzak believes the A team might not have the same fate.

“Our preparations are going well. We are playing against the HP team in Khulna. Wherever any Bangladesh team plays, be it A team, B team, or C team, I will expect Bangladesh to do well,” he said.