Imrul Kayes says Jasprit Bumrah’s absence will give Bangladesh a chance to capitalize in Champions Trophy

Former Bangladesh opener Imrul Kayes believes Jasprit Bumrah’s absence will give Bangladesh a chance to capitalize in the Champions Trophy. Bumrah will miss the eight-team tournament due to a lower back injury, which he suffered in the fifth Test match against Australia at Sydney and thus he could not bowl in the second innings.

Harshit Rana, who has played only three ODIs so far, has replaced the gun fast bowler in the Champions Trophy squad. Kayes reckons India’s veteran pacer Mohammed Shami could also pose a threat to the Tigers in their tournament’s opener.

Shami recently made a comeback to international cricket but didn’t look at his absolute best in the white-ball series against England.

Speaking to PTI, Imrul Kayes said, “India is a strong side with a great bowling attack and batting lineup. But Bumrah is not in the squad. We all know what he has done in the last two years for Indian cricket. His absence gives Bangladesh a chance to capitalize. Shami’s inclusion is big. He may be struggling a bit with fitness right now, but if he finds his rhythm, he will be a big threat for Bangladesh.”

On the other hand, Kayes reckons Bangladesh will deeply miss the services of their talismanic all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan. 

“I definitely miss Shakib because he is a very good player. His impact on any match is immense. At the moment, Bangladesh is struggling. They are struggling because if Shakib is not playing, they might play an additional spinner. That’s the main problem. Litton’s form was a big concern for the team. But in the last few BPL matches, he did score some runs. However, Soumya Sarkar and Tanzid Tamim have performed better, and I think the team is in good shape in that department.”

The former left-hander backed all-rounder Mehidy Hasan to lift his game in the Champions Trophy.

“If you see Mehidy Hasan, when he came to the national team, he was new, but his courage is amazing. His character shows he is a champion player. He doesn’t care about anybody; he always believes, ‘I will do it;. Mehidy can bat anywhere. In the 2018 Asia Cup final, he opened the batting against India. Shakib can also bat anywhere. So, if you compare, Mehidy will probably fill the gap.”

India will begin their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on February 20.