In place of off-spinner Aliss Al Islam, wicketkeeper-batter Jaker Ali Anik has been pulled into the T20I team for the forthcoming three-match series against Sri Lanka, according to an announcement made by the Bangladesh Cricket Board on Saturday, March 2.
As previously reported by Cricbuzz, Aliss hurt his finger while playing for Comilla Victorians in the just finished Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).
“An MRI of Allison’s middle finger revealed edoema and a sprained ligament, which was confirmed by the test. National Team physiotherapist Bayjedul Islam Khan said in a statement on Saturday that “his recovery is estimated to take two to three weeks, thus ruling him out of the series.”
In the last BPL, the 26-year-old Jaker showed promise for the Comilla Victorians, scoring 199 runs at a 99.5 average and a 141 strike rate. The middle-order hitter was substituted with a spinner by the selection panel’s chairman, Gazi Ashraf Hossain, because their roster already included slow bowlers.
“In addition to Aliss, we have three other frontline spinners in Rishad (Hossain), Taijul (Islam), and Shak Mahedi (Hasan) in the T20 squad,” stated Ashraf. “We believe that instead of adding another spinner to replace Aliss, the team’s balance would be better served by including someone like Jaker Ali, who can bolster the middle or lower-middle order and serve as a finisher,” he stated.
