Azad Majumder . Chittagong
Bangladesh batsman Shahriar Nafees left the crease with bloodied face on the first day of the first Test against West Indies on Friday, but escaped any serious injury, said his team-mates and officials.
Nafees was struck by a bouncer of Fidel Edwards in his face which forced him to retire hurt in the 20th over of Bangladesh’s innings. He was looking in good touch until the blow, scoring 21 off 18 balls with four boundaries.
Nafees, who spent the remaining hours in the dressing room and even managed to play football with team-mates after the day’s play, is expected to resume his batting today.
The blow, which could have been a career threatening injury for Nafees as it happened in other cases, brought a sense of panic in Bangladesh dressing room as it reminded them of a similar incident three years ago.
South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis hit Aftab Ahmed with a similar bouncer in a Test match at this very ground in 2008, which left the batsman unable to take part in any further proceedings of the game.
Nafees, however, did not need to go to hospital like Aftab and escaped with only some heavy swelling.
Tamim Iqbal, his batting partner on that occasion, said later that it motivated him to take care of Edwards and play well. ‘This is something that happened to me for the first time. I have never seen my batting partner to leave the pitch in such a way,’ said Tamim at the post-match press conference.
‘When he had taken the helmet off at first I thought he was sweating. If I say I wasn’t scared that will be wrong, I was a bit nervous.
‘But it also encouraged me to play well. I always need something to motivate myself. But it does not come all the time. The incident brought it for me.
‘I thought let’s see what I can do, I think after that I batted well,’ said Tamim, who made 52 off 141 balls.
Tamim added that he took his mental preparation before the game to handle Edwards, whom he had never faced in the past in Tests or one-day internationals. The only experience of the current Bangladesh squad facing Edwards was limited to a Twenty20 international in South Africa in 2007. Tamim, however, said he took his motivation from the Saint Lucia Test in 2004.
‘It’s very interesting. I was trying to see his video yesterday on the YouTube and everything came good. ‘He was giving bouncers, hitting the batsmen on their nose. I was confused about what to do.
‘Finally it came to my mind that our Rafiq Bhai, Suman Bhai and Pilot Bhai hit hundreds against him.
‘I was telling Imrul in the morning if they can do it then why can’t we? So I went onto the field with a good feeling,’ said Tamim.
‘He was trying his best. But I don’t think there was anything extra in the wicket which could have made him more effective.’
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