ICC 2011 World Cup: Abdur Razzak, the Raj of Bengali Tigers
On 15 June, 1982, a Bengali Tiger opened his eyes in Khulna, a Bangladeshi state in the south of the country. It was Abdur Razzak; an entity who was destined to play cricket for his country.
Razzak started navigating the ocean of cricket from an early age and joined the local cricket scene in Khulna District. Due to his immense hard work, Razzak gained a prominent place at the international level. His career evolved smoothly but not without diligence. He had to assert himself at the local level before reaching national and international forums.
A left-arm spinner, Razzak joined a local cricket team of Khulana Division and helped his team win the first-ever National Cricket League title.
His excellent maiden performance produced a ray of hope in the minds of the national cricket managers, who saw his hidden capabilities that, if, polished, could transform into highly professional skills, which Bangladesh’s cricket team was hungry for.
He was given a chance to play for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Victoria-c859 Sporting Club. The club achieved a marvellous victory in the 2002-03 Dhaka Premier Division, courtesy of Razzak’s performance.
Given his two successful performaces, Razzak was included in Bangladesh-A to play against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zimbabwe-c3045- A in 2004. Razzak took 15 wickets in the series. One of his most outstanding achievements was 7 wickets for just 17 runs in a match that his team won.
By 2004, Razzak had successfully played three big tournaments at domestic level and was fully prepared for playing international cricket. He was selected in the ODI squad that was set to participate in the Asia Cup 2004.
He made his One Day International (ODI) debut against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Hong-Kong-c2919. His maiden ODI perked him up when he took 3 wickets for 17 runs. He had now become an indispensible bowler for the Bengali Tigers.
Razzak staged his Test debut in April 2005 against the “invincible” Australians, at Chittagong. Unlike his ODI experience, he could not take a single wicket in the match.
On the basis of his exquisite performance in ODIs during the year 2004-05, he succeeded in getting a permanent place in the ODI team. At the end of 2005, Razzak played in the Champions Trophy that remained a booming experience for him.
He continued to make his marks for the Bengali Tigers. His career encountered with another jump-up in December 2006 when he gained 5 wickets for just 33 runs in an ODI against Zimbabwe. After that, he became part and parcel of the Bengali Tigers team.
Razzak made his T20 debut on 28 November, 2006 against Zimbabwe at Khulna. As usual, he demonstrated his extraordinary bowling skills and took 3 wickets for just 17.
In 2008, he had to face the music for his illegal bowling action. He was found to have bent his arm beyond 28 degrees that was strictly prohibited by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The ICC banned him for a short period of time. He underwent training to correct his bowling style and ICC cleared him. He successfully participated in the ICC T20 World Cup of 2009.
During his 7-year international career, Razzak has played 8 Test matches, 111 ODIs and 13 T20s.His wicket average has been 16, 162 and 20 respectively. On the batting front, Razzak has scored 563 runs in ODIs, 160 in Tests, and 11 in T20s.
Now, Razzak is playing his second ICC World Cup. His spin bowling is much needed by the Bengali Tigers on the slow pitches of the Subcontinent. He is expected to thrive on his home grounds.
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