Perform, wait, repeat: Nayeem’s never-ending Test cycle

Bangla Press Desk:   “Who is the best spinner in the country?”

A Sri Lankan player asked this question to a Bangladeshi cricketer while walking off the Galle International Cricket Stadium when Bangladesh toured the island for a three-format series back in July–August this year.

“Who?” the Bangladeshi player asked in return.

“I think it’s Nayeem,” came the reply.

Perhaps there was a touch of recency bias in that remark. 

Nayeem Hasan had just claimed a five-wicket haul on a flat Galle surface, stepping in for Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who missed the Test due to injury. Yet the performance was no fluke. Nayeem went on to finish as the highest wicket-taker of the series, taking nine wickets at an average of 26. That remains Bangladesh’s most recent Test assignment.

Fast forward three months, and Nayeem finds himself out of Bangladesh’s squad for the upcoming home Test series against Ireland. The 14-member squad includes three spinners — Mehidy, Taijul Islam and Hasan Murad — along with four pacers: Khaled Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana and Ebadot Hossain.

Bangladesh will play two Tests against Ireland — the first from November 11 at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, and the second from November 19 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur. The series is not part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship cycle.

However, Nayeem’s exclusion, despite being one of Bangladesh’s standout performers in the last Test series, raises questions about the selection logic.

“We haven’t actually dropped him. Yes, he’s not in the side, but we named a 14-man squad. We could easily bring him in if required,” a selector told Daily Sun on condition of anonymity. 

“Since the first-class competition is underway, we felt it would benefit him more to continue playing four-day cricket.”

The selector also shed light on the team management’s thought process regarding possible combinations.

“We always try to visualise the probable XI for the first Test. In Sylhet, the management might opt for a second left-arm spinner alongside Taijul, since Ireland have a number of right-handed batters.

There’s also the option of adding an extra pacer depending on conditions. Either way, Nayeem probably wouldn’t have been in the XI — and we’ve communicated that clearly with him,” the selector explained.

But statistics paint a different picture. Of Nayeem’s 48 Test wickets in 14 matches, 33 have come against right-handers — at an average of 28 — indicating his effectiveness against such batters.

Despite that, the 33-year-old Taijul, with 237 wickets from 55 Tests, is expected to lead the spin attack in Sylhet, likely partnered by Hasan Murad, who already boasts 165 first-class wickets in just 39 matches. Mehidy, meanwhile, will play the role of the off-spinning all-rounder.

For Nayeem, this situation feels all too familiar. 

In his eight-year Test career, he has played just 14 matches — repeatedly waiting for opportunities, performing after long breaks, only to be sidelined again in the name of “team combination” or “match-ups.”

BP/TD