Send Feedback | Email Article | Print Article

| Font: Trebuchet Trebuchet

| Size: 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

World cricket hasn’t seen many Slow Left Arm orthodox bowlers as left-arm orthodox spin is one of the harder bowling styles to master. It requires long hours of practice to get the right line, loop, length and most importantly variety. Over the years, world cricket has seen some slow left arm orthodox bowlers which include:

Palwankar Baloo (India), Bishen Bedi (India), Phil Edmonds (England), Tony Lock (England), Maninder Singh (India), Wilfred Rhodes (England), Ravi Shastri (India), Sir Garfield Sobers (West Indies), Phil Tufnell (England), Derek Underwood (England), Johnny Wardle (England), Iqbal Qasim (Pakistan) and Aamir Sohail (Pakistan). Current cricketers who have played tests or ODI include Daniel Vettori (New Zealand) Ashley Giles (England), Monty Panesar, (England) Mohammad Rafique (Bangladesh) Murali Kartik (India), Sanath Jayasuriya, (Srilanka) Ray Price, (Zimbabwe), Nicky Boje, (South Africa) Enamul Haque Jr., (Bangladesh), Abdur Razzak (Bangladesh) and Sakib-Al-Hasan (Bangladesh).

Some great players of world cricket are included in this list and many of them are considered as all-rounders. Among current cricketers Vettori, Giles, Boje, Jayasurya and Rafiq can be regarded as all-rounders. All these players contributed significantly to their team's overall success. Modern cricket is evolving and it is very important to have all-round cricketers to succeed and survive at the international level.

Bangladesh is an emerging cricket nation and is slowly making her impact in world cricket. It is really encouraging to see a good number of slow left arm orthodox bowlers playing for Bangladesh and quite a few others on the verge of starting their career for Bangladesh. Interestingly, Bangladesh was never known as a country with left arm cricketers. In the past, Enamul Huq Moni was the only Test level left arm cricketer. It's Mohammad Rafiq who changed the scenario for Bangladesh. His brilliance and success in world cricket encouraged young talents to follow him and that is paying the dividend for Bangladesh. Currently, Bangladesh seems to have the most potential slow left arm bowlers in the cricket world and the more encouraging news is that most of them are all-rounders, impressive in all departments of the game. These young lads are going to start a new era in Bangladesh cricket and I have got every belief that it is going to be the start of a bright future.

Let's have a look at the long list of past, current and future Bangladesh SLAs.

Past

1. Enamul Huq Moni

He is the pioneer of slow left arm bowlers for Bangladesh. He was fairly successful at ICC level but failed to continue his impressive form to test and ODI level. He ended his career with some mediocre records though he was highly rated by some cricket experts.

Batting and fielding averages

class	mat	inns	no	runs	hs	ave	bf	sr	100	50	4s	6s	ct	st
Tests	10	19	4	180	24*	12.00	520	34.61	0	0	25	1	1	0
ODIs	29	26	5	236	32	11.23	479	49.26	0	0		0	6	0
First-class	34	51	8	1033	81	24.02			0	6			25	0
List A	61	55	11	612	84*	13.90			0	1			22	0
ICC Trophy	24	16	3	205	37	15.76			0	0			16	0

Bowling averages

class	mat	balls	runs	wkts	bbi	bbm	ave	econ	sr	4	5	10
Tests	10	2230	1027	18	4/136	4/136	57.05	2.76	123.88	2	0	0
ODIs	29	1238	1083	19	2/40	2/40	57.00	5.24	65.15	0	0	0
First-class	34	8373	3424	129	7/74		26.54	2.45	64.90		9	4
List A	61	2678	2038	46	4/25	4/25	44.30	4.56	58.21	1	0	0
ICC Trophy	24	1298	649	35	3/18	3/18	18.54	3.00	37.08	0	0	0

Current

1. Mohammad Rafiq

He is one of the best slow left arm bowlers in current cricket. He is an accurate and rhythmic slow left-armer. He played in Bangladesh's inaugural Test in November 2000 and was left out as administrators branded him as ODI specialist. Once he received the opportunity, he bounced back in May 2003, with 6 for 77 against South Africa at Dhaka which was then the best bowling by any Bangladeshi in test level. Now a days, he is considered as one of the best slow left arm bowlers of world cricket. He has the best armball delivery among current bowlers and this is his most lethal weapon of his armory. He is easily the best all-round cricketer we ever had. Now he is edging towards a notable double of 1000 runs and 100 wickets in Tests. He has set outstanding examples and high standards for our young stars with his hard work and dedication.

Batting and fielding averages

class	mat	inns	no	runs	hs	ave	bf	sr	100	50	4s	6s	ct	st
Tests	26	50	5	982	111	21.82	1498	65.55	1	4	101	33	6	0
ODIs	100	90	13	1049	77	13.62	1448	72.44	0	2	103	24	22	0
First-class	47	81	9	1464	111	20.33			1	8			18	0
List A	135	118	16	1341	77	13.14			0	3			35	0
ICC Trophy	9	5	1	76	26	19.00	56	135.71	0	0	6	4	3	0

Bowling averages

class	mat	balls	runs	wkts	bbi	bbm	ave	econ	sr	4	5	10
Tests	26	7233	3184	87	6/77	9/160	36.59	2.64	83.13	3	7	0
ODIs	100	5060	3787	95	5/47	5/47	39.86	4.49	53.26	2	1	0
First-class	47	12702	4966	195	7/52		25.46	2.34	65.13		12	2
List A	135	6849	4742	145	5/16	5/16	32.70	4.15	47.23	2	2	0
ICC Trophy	9	346	203	19	4/25	4/25	10.68	3.52	18.21	1	0	0

2. Enamul Huq Jr.

This young lad has got all the ability to serve Bangladesh cricket for a long time. Enamul gives the ball a big rip from a high, economical action, and looks set to be a fixture in the squad for some time. He has got lot of varieties in bowling and even more turns and flights than Rafiq. He declared his arrival in international cricket with a remarkable 6 for 45 - and the historic final wicket in the first Test victory over Zimbabwe in January 2005, then added 7 for 95 (and 12 in the match) in the drawn second Test. Currently a regular member in test team and featured only in 3 ODI's. He has to improve his batting regain his place in the ODI squad.

Batting and fielding averages

class	mat	inns	no	runs	hs	ave	bf	sr	100	50	4s	6s	ct	st
Tests	10	18	11	28	9	4.00	146	19.17	0	0	2	0	2	0
ODIs	3	2	1	4	4*	4.00	3	133.33	0	0	0	0	5	0
First-class	39	61	29	293	32	9.15			0	0			15	0
List A	22	13	6	70	22	10.00			0	0			9	0

Bowling averages

class	mat	balls	runs	wkts	bbi	bbm	ave	econ	sr	4	5	10
Tests	10	2385	1198	32	7/95	12/200	37.43	3.01	74.53	0	3	1
ODIs	3	180	129	4	2/37	2/37	32.25	4.30	45.00	0	0	0
First-class	39	9441	4437	153	7/47		29.00	2.81	61.70	5	11	3
List A	22	1119	706	27	4/27	4/27	26.14	3.78	41.44	2	0	0

3. Abdur Razzak

Slowly moving into the heart of the BD fans and making him automatic choice for the ODI team. He is a very consistent performer with a good economy rate and an impressive average of 27.54 with the ball. Keeps it tight and can bowl with field restrictions (power play). He is doing amazing job at the death overs. He has got a numinous ability to tame world class batsmen. Maturing with the bat in every game.

Batting and fielding averages

class	mat	inns	no	runs	hs	ave	bf	sr	100	50	4s	6s	ct	st
Tests	1	2	0	15	15	7.50	26	57.69	0	0	2	0	0	0
ODIs	22	15	9	90	21	15.00	119	75.63	0	0	3	2	6	0
First-class	35	55	7	943	83	19.64	1677	56.23	0	5			13	0
List A	62	46	16	381	35*	12.70	494	77.12	0	0			19	0

Bowling averages

class	mat	balls	runs	wkts	bbi	bbm	ave	econ	sr	4	5	10
Tests	1	180	99	0	-	-	-	3.30	-	0	0	0
ODIs	22	1149	733	30	3/17	3/17	24.43	3.82	38.30	0	0	0
First-class	35	7916	3412	117	7/11		29.16	2.58	67.65	2	4	1
List A	62	3122	1936	100	7/17	7/17	19.36	3.72	31.22	1	2	0

4. Manjarul Islam Rana

One of most consistent performer, good bowler, batsman and very good slip fielder. Doesn't have the blessings of the selectors. He is the only Bangladeshi to take wicket in his first international over. May return in the ODI squad in future. Has to fight hard to regain his place.

Batting and fielding averages

class	mat	inns	no	runs	hs	ave	bf	sr	100	50	4s	6s	ct	st
Tests	6	11	1	257	69	25.70	692	37.13	0	1	30	1	3	0
ODIs	25	21	5	331	63	20.68	668	49.55	0	1	21	1	6	0
First-class	37	64	11	1910	151	36.03			2	8			24	0
List A	62	54	12	810	76*	19.28			0	3			21	0

Bowling average

class	mat	balls	runs	wkts	bbi	bbm	ave	econ	sr	4	5	10
Tests	6	749	401	5	3/84	3/84	80.20	3.21	149.80	0	0	0
ODIs	25	996	689	23	4/34	4/34	29.95	4.15	43.30	2	0	0
First-class	37	6241	2703	97	7/82		27.86	2.59	64.34		5	1
List A	62	2782	1734	79	4/9	4/9	21.94	3.73	35.21	7	0	0

5. Sakib-Al-Hasan

Most promising all-rounder of BD cricket. He came into the limelight after a blistering performance with both ball and bat at the U-19 level. Grabbed the opportunity to play for the national team with two hands and Bangladesh fans are expecting him to be a regular member in the ODI squad. His ability and the calmness to play in the middle order is very much required for Bangladesh's fragile batting line up.

Batting and fielding averages

class	mat	inns	no	runs	hs	ave	bf	sr	100	50	4s	6s	ct	st
ODIs	4	4	2	88	30*	44.00	141	62.41	0	0	11	0	0	0
First-class	11	21	3	574	85	31.88			0	3			7	0
List A	12	12	3	262	55*	29.11	355	73.80	0	1			7	0

Bowling averages

class	mat	balls	runs	wkts	bbi	bbm	ave	econ	sr	4	5	10
ODIs	4	207	125	4	2/32	2/32	31.25	3.62	51.75	0	0	0
First-class	11	2345	1016	35	6/79		29.02	2.59	67.00	1	2	0
List A	12	577	375	14	4/30	4/30	26.78	3.89	41.21	2	0	0

6. Mehrab Hossain Jr.

Mehrab is considered as the most promising genuine all-rounder of Bangladesh cricket. Bangladesh national team is lacking a player like him for long time. He can bat any position from 1 to 6 & is certainly knocking the door of the national team. He can solve the opening problem for BD national team for long time in both forms of the game. He plays First Class matches for Dhaka Division.

Batting and fielding averages

class	mat	inns	no	runs	hs	ave	bf	sr	100	50	ct	st
First-class	20	35	4	1085	196	35.00			4	3	12	0
List A	18	17	3	557	65*	39.78	891	62.51	0	5	8	0

Bowling averages

class	mat	balls	runs	wkts	bbi	bbm	ave	econ	sr	4	5	10
First-class	20	1939	1106	25	6/80		44.24	3.42	77.56	2	1	1
List A	18	782	540	21	4/37	4/37	25.71	4.14	37.23	1	0	0

7. Nadif Chowhury

Another young promising player. He was eported for a suspect action but later got cleared. Has got a lot of variations with ball. He is another young all-rounder in the making. His inclusion in the Barisal division was rewarded with some consistent performance with both bat and ball. He can bowl long spells which is an added advantage for any First Class team.

Batting and fielding averages

class	mat	inns	no	runs	hs	ave	bf	sr	100	50	ct	st
First-class	19	31	6	867	90	34.68	1735	49.97	0	4	14	1
List A	17	17	1	225	42*	14.06	346	65.02	0	0	4	0

Bowling averages

class	mat	balls	runs	wkts	bbi	bbm	ave	econ	sr	4	5	10
First-class	19	3750	1772	60	5/34		29.53	2.83	62.50	3	3	0
List A	17	710	446	13	2/24	2/24	34.30	3.76	54.61	0	0	0

8. Nabil Samad

Another very good young bowler. He has got the most impressive First Class economy rate among Bangladeshi bowlers. He is used as a stock bowler in First Class matches and comes at first change in the list A matches. Has got tremendous potential. Keeps the line and length tight and he resembles the bowling of Rafiq.

Batting and fielding averages

class	mat	inns	no	runs	hs	ave	bf	sr	100	50	ct	st
First-class	24	36	16	204	33	10.20	724	28.17	0	0	7	0
List A	20	9	4	56	23	11.20	71	78.87	0	0	5	0

Bowling averages

class	mat	balls	runs	wkts	bbi	bbm	ave	econ	sr	4	5	10
First-class	24	5817	2278	91	6/43		25.03	2.34	63.92	8	4	0
List A	20	869	551	24	5/32	5/32	22.95	3.80	36.20	1	1	0

9. Elias Sunny

This young lad also has animpressive First Class record. 78 wickets from 22 matches. A bit overlooked by many fans and BD selectors. He is a decent all-rounder and batting is one of his major strength. He plays First Class cricket for Dhaka division.

Batting and fielding averages

class	mat	inns	no	runs	hs	ave	bf	sr	100	50	ct	st
First-class	22	32	7	669	176	26.76	1581	42.31	1	4	14	0
List A	18	13	4	177	46*	19.66	278	63.66	0	0	8	0

Bowling averages

class	mat	balls	runs	wkts	bbi	bbm	ave	econ	sr	4	5	10
First-class	22	4127	2017	78	5/46		25.85	2.93	52.91	5	3	0
List A	18	959	602	26	3/19	3/19	23.15	3.76	36.88	0	0	0

10. Arafat Sunny

Another slow left arm bowler from Bangladesh U-19 level. Plays national league with Dhaka division and was one of the leading wicket taker. He plays First Class cricket with Dhaka division and is known as fighter with bat.

Batting and fielding averages

class	mat	inns	no	runs	hs	ave	bf	sr	100	50	ct	st
First-class	26	43	18	682	55	27.28			0	2	15	0
List A	26	18	3	150	34	10.00	312	48.07	0	0	14	0

Bowling averages

class	mat	balls	runs	wkts	bbi	bbm	ave	econ	sr	4	5	10
First-class	26	4567	1994	91	6/50		21.91	2.61	50.18	2	7	1
List A	26	943	547	21	4/17	4/17	26.04	3.48	44.90	1	0	0

This is a very inspiring list bowlers/all-rounders. Five of them have already made the national debut and all of them are extraordinary. I feel that we have real good future with these young boys. Almost all of them are quite imposing with the bat and all are very good fielders.

This is not the end; these ten young bowlers/all-rounders are picked from a large pool of left arm bowlers who are making an impression in Bangladesh's international and domestic cricket. Suhrawardy Shuvo is the notable absentee in this list who has played just 7 First Class matches and taken 34 wickets. He is an upcoming cricketer and will declare his arrival sooner than later.

Bangladesh hasn't yet satisfied its well-wishers and worldwide fans with its performance. Now these young lads have to take the initiative and responsibility to make the next leap. Apart from Rafiq, Razzak and Rana all of these players are under 20 years and have started playing serious cricket knowing Bangladesh is a Test playing country and that they have got every chance to represent Bangladesh at the highest level of the game. They came from a proper cricketing background and all have solid education on cricket. They were nurtured in the under-19 and development squads and now its very important to utilize their potential properly. BCB has got the major responsibility for that and it has to ensure adequate international exposure which is very much required to make them mature and more capable. Most of them featured at the U-19 world cup and proved their superiority over other Test playing teams. If we can guide them properly, they can well translate their success to the next level and that will be enough for Bangladesh's success in all forms of cricket. I am looking forward to those days.

This is not the end of the story and supply of young left arm cricketers to enrich Bangladesh cricket. We have some astonishing young talents at the U-15 and U-17 levels. At least four of them are left arm all rounders.

Bangladesh is blessed with a number of young cricketers and it’s very important to nourish them with proper coaching, physical training, diet and exposure. We need to build a proper cricketing infrastructure so that these talents can flourish to their full extent. We should learn from the examples and take advice from fellow test playing countries like Australia and England to find out the proper line of action in this regard. It is really encouraging to see that the BCB has already set up an academy which can nurture young talents and act as a feed for the national team. Bangladesh’s success in international cricket largely depends on young blood and emergence of these slow left arm allround cricketers assures us that we are in the right track.

They have seen Mohammad Rafiq tormenting top order of other test playing teams and are getting ready to take the button from Rafiq. Imagine a day in future when three bowlers with the quality and elegance of Mohammad Rafiq are playing for Bangladesh and I'm sure you can predict which team is dominating and winning matches.

Note: Information taken from Wikipedia and Cricinfo; Stats current to August 16, 2006)