DHAKA, Feb 3: Following are the pen-sketches of Bangladesh World Cup squad:
KHALED MASHUD
Born: Feb 8 1976. Captain. Wicket-keeper. ODI debut: v India, Sharjah, 1995. 51 matches, 659 runs, av 17.34. Best wicket-keeper Bangladesh has produced. Played in all but one of Bangladesh’s 17 Tests and 51 of their 61 One-day Internationals. Virtually ever-present in one-day side, including 1999 World Cup. Made captain a year ago.
Career highlight came in 1997 Champions Trophy when making 70 v Scotland in the semifinals to make sure of World Cup qualification and 15 not out off seven balls in Kuala Lumpur to beat Kenya in rain-affected final, win off last ball getting 166-8 off 25 overs. Bangladesh received ODI status soon after.
July 2002, led team on 3-match ODI series in Sri Lanka and named man of series for captaincy and average of 35.33 despite a 3-0 whitewash.
MOHAMMAD AL-SHAHRIAR
Born: April 23 1978. Right-handed opening batsman. ODI debut: v Pakistan, Dhaka, March 1999. 22 matches, 320 runs, av 15.23, two fifties. Plays with a lot of wrist, favouring the on side. Scored 62 not out in his third ODI v West Indies but has not passed that total since. Lucky to retain his World Cup place after making 11 runs in his last six ODI innings, including four ducks, his last outing a first-baller v West Indies in Dhaka in December.
MOHAMMAD ASHRAFUL
Born: Sept 9 1984. Right handed batsman. ODI debut: v Zimbabwe, Bulawayo, April 2001. 11 matches, 171 runs, av 15.54. Also bowls leg-break. Test cricket’s youngest century-maker on debut. Began career as leg-break bowler. Short man, favours the pull and off side. Failed to live up to his historic international debut when top-scoring in both innings v Sri Lanka and Muttiah Muralitharan, including 114 in the second innings, aged 16 and 362 days, youngest player to manage the feat on Test debut.
Took part in 2002 under-19 World Cup. Bets one-day score of 44 v West Indies in December 2002.
HABIBUL BASHAR
Born: Aug 17 1972. Right-handed batsman, occasional off-break. ODI debut: v Sri Lanka, Sharjah, 1995. 27 matches, 548 runs, av 20.29, six fifties. Bangladesh’s leading batsman and the only one to have scored 1,000 test runs but inconsistent in one-dayers. Scored 71 in his maiden Test innings, Bangladesh’s inaugural Test. Concentration sometimes in doubt with a tendency to fail to convert good starts into big totals.
TAPASH BAISYA
Born: Dec 25 1982. Right-arm fast-medium bowler. Useful lower-order batsman. ODI debut: v Sri Lanka, Colombo, Aug 2002. 10 matches, 10 wkts at 40.70, best 3-50. Made his debut six months ago. Hammered for 43 runs off five overs on one-day debut, buying the wicket of Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya. Aged 20, took a Test-best 4-72 v West Indies in Chittagong in Dec 2002.
EHSANUL HAQUE
Born: Dec 1 1979. Right handed batsman, occasional bowler. ODI debut: v West Indies, Dhaka, Dec 2002. 2 matches, 29 runs, av 14.50, overs 14, one wkt for 79. Picked as third opener ahead of experienced Javed Omar.
SANWAR HOSSAIN
Born: Aug 5 1973. Right-handed batsman. Occasional off-break bowler. ODI debut v India, Dhaka, Jan 1998. 14 matches, 161 runs, av 11.50, one fifty. Selected after 1999 World Cup skipper Aminul Islam was dropped from the side.
TUSHAR IMRAN
Born: Dec 10 1983. Right-handed batsman. ODI debut: v Zimbabwe, Chittagong, Nov 2001. 13 matches, 277 runs, av 21.30. His first love was hockey. Hit 65 and 43 v Pakistan and 61 v Sri Lanka in consecutive innings early in his ODI career but his last two innings, v South Africa and West Indies, were both two-ball ducks. Reached double figures only once in six Test innings. His last Test innings was also a duck.
MANJURUL ISLAM
Born: Nov 7 1979. Left-arm fast-medium bowler. ODI debut: v Pakistan, Dhaka, March 1999. 19 wkts at 53.05. 26 matches. Took his Test-best figures on his debut. Played in 1999 World Cup but was not selected for the shock win over Pakistan. Took 6-81 off 35 overs on his Test debut v Zimbabwe but could not prevent an innings and 32-run defeat. Hit for 46 off six overs on his ODI debut. Conceded 77 off 10 overs against West Indies in final World Cup warm-up.
TALHA JUBAIR
Born: Dec 10 1985. Right-arm medium-pace bowler. ODI debut: v New Zealand, Colombo, Sept 2002. 4 matches, 6 wkts, av 30.83. Candidate for the lowest batting average in the World Cup with 0.5. Hit for 46 (including nine wides) off five overs on his ODI debut. Conceded 120 off 21 overs on Test debut but managed two top-grade wickets, Marvan Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardene.
ALOK KAPALI
Born: Jan 1 1984. Highly gifted teenage right-handed batsman. Also bowls leg breaks. Good gully fielder. ODI debut: v Sri Lanka, Colombo, Aug 2002. 11 matches, 228 runs, av 25.33. Made debut aged 18. Hit a career-best 89 not out off 92 balls in his last one-dayer, v West Indies in Dec 2002, and a career-best 85 in his last Test, at Chittagong in the same month, also v West Indies. His bowling has been less impressive — handed the ball in nine ODI games, he has taken one for 229 and two for 327 in Tests.
KHALED MAHMUD
Born: July 26 1971. Right arm medium pacer, useful right-hand batsman. ODI debut: v India, Dhaka, Jan 1998. 34 matches, 465 runs, av 14.53. 31 wkts, ave 40.93. Man-of-the-Match in 1999 World Cup win over Pakistan. Test debut was the only match not lost by Bangladesh — it was washed out by rain. Last test was more than a year ago. Scored 27 off 34 balls and took his career-best 3-31 v Pakistan at Northampton in 1999 World Cup. Recalled after ignored for 2002 home ODI series v West Indies.
MASHRAFE MORTAZA
Born: Oct 5 1983. Right-arm fast bowler. ODI debut: v Zimbabwe, Chittagong, Nov 2001. 3 matches, 4 wkts, ave 29.00. Bangladesh’s fastest bowler but not played any international cricket for more than a year. Sidelined in Jan 2002 with back problems, followed by knee injury in March — caused by falling while using a skipping rope — which sidelined him for eight months. Last ODI was in Nov 2001. Passed fitness test just before tournament.
MOHAMMAD RAFIQUE
Born: Sept 5 1970. Left-arm orthodox spinner. ODI debut: v India, Sharjah, April 1995. 34 matches, 369 runs, ave 12.30. 27 wkts, ave 50.74. Has dismissed Sachin Tendulkar three times. Took 4-25 against Scotland in the 1997 ICC Trophy semifinal as Bangladesh qualified for 1999 World Cup. Bowled 51 overs in his first Test innings, taking 3-117 including Rahul Dravid.
HANNAN SARKAR
Born: Dec 1 1982. Right-handed opening batsman. ODI debut: v Sri Lanka, Colombo, Aug 2002. 4 matches, 28 runs, av 7.00. Yet to establish himself. Scored 14 on his ODI debut, since when he has not got to double figures. Good fielder, can bowl medium pace.—Reuters
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