Tenacious Shadman gets his due

Shadman Islam, the Bangladesh opener, made use of his lucky opportunity and cracked his maiden Test century, on Saturday (July 10), against Zimbabwe. If not for Tamim Iqbal's injury, from which he couldn't recover on time, Shadman wouldn't have had the opportunity to feature in the one-off Test.

A tenacious batsman, Shadman has had his share of bad luck in his short career. A wrist injury that eventually required surgery prevented his career from moving in the right direction and he also suffered another injury setback on his comeback series against West Indies at home.

He needed to perform in the National Cricket League in order to make a claim for a spot in the national team but could not do so after being tested positive for COVID-19. Even though he was included in the Test squad for the Sri Lanka series, team management weren't convinced to play him in the eleven.

Indifferent form in the Bangabandhu Dhaka Premier League T20, the last domestic tournament, meant that he was picked only as a back-up opener for the Zimbabwe Test.

In order to prepare for the series, Shadman requested the national team management and his club to make arrangements for him to practice with a red ball in the indoor academy indoors while his clubmates were practicing with a white ball.

It was a tough stance taken by the batsman after being not included in the two tournaments - BCB Presidents Cup (three-team 50-over tournament) and Bangabandhu T20 (five team T20 competition) that was launched by the board to resume cricket in the country. It was soon followed by his omission from the national contract.

"I have to practice somewhere," Shadman had told Cricbuzz then after completing a session at Fatullah, which is situated far away from the city. "I am happy to fight it alone because everything in life won't fall in place the way you want it to. But I want to make sure I am ready whenever the opportunity comes.

Shadman, who was dismissed for 23 in the first innings, resumed Day 4 on 22, and went on to score 115 off 196 balls, putting on an unbroken 196-run stand for the second wicket with Nazmul Hasan. The partnership allowed Bangladesh to declare their second innings on 284 for 1 and set Zimbabwe a record target of 477 runs at Harare Sports Club.

"When I was batting with Shanto (Najmul Hossain), he was telling me to bat the way I have been. Just before lunch, he told me to hit the loose deliveries.

"I made a plan of playing one ball at a time, and finally got the century. I'm delighted with my achievement; and also pleased to score big runs for the team, as a team member. I have earned this for my teammates, and my coaches. I would like to dedicate this hundred to my parents," he concluded.

Taylor disappointed on missing out ton

Zimbabwe skipper Brendon Taylor, who was dismissed for 92, said on Saturday that he is disappointed to miss out on a century.

''It is frustrating (to miss out on the hundred) when you are going that well. You want to kick on (and score the hundred) obviously,'' Taylor, who looked in sublime form in the second innings, said after the fourth day's play.

"I think I got my first ball away for a boundary. There was no real intent to play with that amount of aggression, but I played instinctively. It paid off. I thought that at the end of day four, the wicket will start getting tired. Instead of just sitting around, I wanted to be a little proactive, and try to send a message to the guys that the wicket is still playing okay. Hopefully, I have done that.

"I got out at the wrong time, and I felt that I left so many runs out there. It is hurting me at the moment,'' he said.

Taylor said that their batsmen will stand up to the challenge on the fifth day to save the game for them as the hosts ended the fourth day in a dominant position, needing just seven wickets to earn a rare win over Zimbabwe at home.

''From the team's perspective, it was crucial that I stayed out there for a longer period. But we have some capable players, and hopefully, someone can kick on tomorrow,'' said Taylor. "We want to start the first hour well. Hopefully, we don't lose a wicket. We have guys who are technically sound and solid. Unfortunately, we lost Kaitano in the end there. He has been a pillar for us. But there are guys there who can really front up, which will be the chat tomorrow. There's no better time to save a game for your country,'' he concluded.