Sabbir focused on scoring runs after poor show in Champions Trophy

Sabbir Rahman is among the fittest sportsmen in Bangladesh and is revered as the ‘fitness freak’ in the Tigers ranks. Naturally, he is loving every moment of the team’s ongoing fitness camp.

However, he is counting down the days to Bangladesh’s next series, preparing to take the field to reverse his poor show in Champions Trophy last month.

The fitness camp aims at helping the team gear up for their forthcoming series, with Australia set to arrive next for a two-Test series.

Sabbir’s Test prospect is subject to cynicism by many, yet he is looking forward to putting up a good show to leave his recent memories behind.

“Actually, I’m very desperate to play any match, not particularly a Test, because I haven’t been able to do well in the last three-four games,” he said on Thursday.

“The memories bother me. It doesn’t matter whether we have a Test or an ODI or a T20 coming, I just want to play well there and get rid of those memories.”

The 25-year-old right-handed batsman did quite well in his last Test. He batted at four in each innings in Bangladesh’s memorable 100th Test against Sri Lanka, scoring 42 and 41.

However, the skepticism over Sabbir’s temperament in the five-day game took hold in those two innings. Having scored three half-centuries in six Tests, his inability to stretch his innings remains in question as none of the knocks reached three digits.

In ODIs, he has cracked five half-centuries and been dismissed in his 40s on six occasions. His topscore is just 65 from 43 ODIs.

The issue gets more attention due to his batting slot. He has been coming in at three in ODIs now, a position that demands quick runs and big scores simultaneously.

His talent may be undeniable but the way he gets out raises concerns about his temperament, showing unnecessary aggression to end up throwing his wicket more often than not.

But these things do not worry Sabbir who is confident in his approach. His solution lies in simply scoring runs.

“Position is no issue, the problem is I could not score runs. If I could, there would’ve been no questions about [batting at] five or six or seven or even 10,” Sabbir said.

“I could not play well in three-four matches at the Champions Trophy. I think I did well before that. But one cannot be assessed on the basis of four or five games. I am looking for a way out of this, trying to fix my mistakes.”

“In cricket, pressure is something that only builds if you feel it. It doesn’t matter who says what. I will play the way the coach or the team tells me to. I won’t change my style,” he added.

“This is how I have been successful before. Why should I change after failing in three or four matches?”

Sabbir’s words hold true. Scoring runs can wash away the doubts, questions over his approach and batting position. But the proper response can only come from his bat.

smo/bd