Sabbir Rahman is looking to shift his focus to bowling

Sabbir Rahman came into the limelight of selectors after having a great stint in Under-19 World Cup, which was held in New Zealand. His enthralling performance in the tournament and in the domestic circuit earned him a national call-up. The 25-year-old lad came into Bangladeshi team as a batsman and was able to impress everyone with his cricketing skills.

However, after making his debut against Zimbabwe, he has played 43 One-Day Internationals and hasn’t been able to keep the standards expected from a player of this stature. Sabbir was a part of recently concluded ICC Champions Trophy 2017 which was held in London and Wales. Featuring in all matches for Bangladesh in the tournament, he wasn’t been able to provide the solidarity needed at a number three slot.

Will focus on bowling

Considering his performance of late, Sabbir is trying to shift his focus to bowling and be an integral part of Bangladeshi team. However, he came into the side as a specialist batsman and in all the International matches across all three formats he has played so far, he has only been able to take 9 wickets.

When he was asked in an interview by bdcrictime.com, he said, “Of course I have to make development in my batting. But I also believe my batting is just about okay. It’s just a bad nick. So now I want to shift my concentration more on bowling than on batting. No matter what others say, I don’t think I have any problem with my batting. Apart from my batting duties, I just want to contribute to the team through my bowling as well.”

Next Assignment

Next assignment for Bangladeshi team comes in August as they host one of the top sides in the world, Australia for a two-match Test series. When asked on this, Sabbir said, he is looking forward to making a mark both with bat and ball and make a permanent spot in Bangladeshi Test team.

“Australia are coming here. I am trying to prepare myself in a way so that I can become a regular member of the Test side as well. This is my main focal point at the moment. If I am to progress in my overall way of playing cricket, I must do well in the Test arena. Doesn’t matter if it’s in batting or in bowling,” Rahman said.

Delighted with team’s performance

He wasn’t able to impress the Bangladeshi fans and selectors in the Champions Trophy but was delighted for his team, as they reached semi-finals.

“I know I lacked individual achievements in the Champions Trophy. Still reaching the semifinals is the biggest achievement. Getting the experience under such pressure is a really big thing. In future, hopefully I will be able to make use of this experience.”