‘Felt good practising after long with national teammates’

Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batter Jaker Ali Anik turned out to be a major topic of discussion when he joined his national teammates preparing for the two-match Test series against Australia at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Sunday.
The 28-year old has been out of the Test radar since his last longer-format match in the international stage against Sri Lanka in 2025.
The unexpected injury of Litton Kumar Das though has opened the door for Jaker to script a Test comeback.
His inclusion was known in the evening after the squad was announced but one thing looked certain.
It seemed that Jaker was never out of the system despite not being around for quite some time.
Test opener Shadman Islam was batting while Jaker was standing at the non-striker’s end when Amite Hasan, another contender for a spot in the playing XI against Australia, passed by. Amite greeted Jaker and shook hands. Later, both of them walked towards the dugout, got ready together and then came for their batting session.
Coach Mohammad Salahuddin showed them two shots – defence and cut.
Jaker - not part of any team at the moment, be it the Emerging side or the High Performance squad - listened like an attentive student.
It appeared that the selection panel members deliberately kept him out of those sides despite his performance against Zimbabwe A team in Sylhet in June, where he scored fifty in a four-day game. The selection panel perhaps had their reasons, considering that Litton’s unavailability in the opening Test of the two-match series was on the cards, and they are aware experience will be key Down Under.
Jaker, who was yet to know about his selection for the opening Test while talking with Daily Sun after practice, looked elated just to be back with his national teammates.
However, he insisted that, after joining training, it did not seem to him that he was away from the national dressing room.
“It felt good practising after a long while with the national teammates,” Jaker said when his attention was drawn to his return to training with his Bangladesh colleagues on Sunday.
“The coach is also happy. He saw that the tone is also not bad, so it’s all good. It only means that there is no lacking,” he said. “I practised on the slabs and on the center wicket,” he noted.
“To be honest I didn’t feel it was something new to me as I came and practised with them and I felt good Alhamdulillah after practice,” he added. He was later picked in the Test squad announced by the Bangladesh Cricket Board in the evening.