In the XI moments before the toss, Shariful grabs attention with his performance

A sudden twist of fate—and a story of seizing the moment—defined Shariful Islam’s day in the first ODI against New Zealand, one that unfolded with dramatic intensity.

Until Mustafizur Rahman picked up an injury during the warm-up, the left-arm pacer had virtually no chance of making the playing XI, but that last-minute change pushed him straight into the spotlight.

Describing the experience of finding out about his inclusion just seconds before the toss and having to prepare instantly, Shariful said, “I was told just one or two seconds before the toss that I would be playing.”

He also shared how he mentally prepared himself after the sudden opportunity and how he communicated with his teammates in that moment, saying, “I told Taskin bhai and Rishad bhai that today’s match is in my rizq. Then I quickly measured my run-up and started my warm-up bowling. Alhamdulillah, in the end, Allah gave me the opportunity.”

In the match, he delivered an impressive performance, picking up 2 wickets for just 27 runs in his 10 overs, including 2 maidens, while also bowling 42 dot balls, and in the powerplay alone, he conceded just 8 runs in 4 overs with one maiden to put the opposition under pressure.

Reflecting on his performance, Shariful placed more emphasis on the team result, saying, “Alhamdulillah, personally I bowled quite well. But at the end of the day, we lost the match, so it definitely feels bad.”

He further added, “Look, as a professional, all 15 members in the squad are always ready to play. The final decision lies with the coaching staff. Whoever they pick, we accept it and go onto the field. Our job is to stay prepared at all times.”

Returning to the ODI side after nearly 16 months, it wasn’t easy for Shariful to adjust, especially after being involved in T20 cricket in recent times.

Explaining his preparation and the challenges, he said, “The last ODI I played was in the West Indies series. After that, there was a gap, and I wasn’t in the Champions Trophy squad either. But I always tried to work on the basics so that I can perform well when the opportunity comes.”