The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) recently announced their senior women’s squad for the first-ever bilateral series against West Indies, and notably absent from the 15-player lineup was veteran pacer Jahanara Alam. According to media reports, the veteran bowler has opted out indefinitely to prioritize her mental well-being.
Alam has reportedly written to Habibul Bashar, the in-charge of the BCB Women’s Wing, requesting a two-month break from cricket, ruling herself out of selection for Bangladesh’s upcoming tour of the Caribbean. Additionally, she is also open to being excluded from the national contract list, citing her unavailability for selection.
Quoting Bashar as sourced from Cricbuzz, “She had given us a letter stating that she was not mentally ready to play and took a break from cricket for two months. She even said that if necessary, she should not be kept in the contract… There is no specific time frame for which she is out. Whenever she feels well, she will let us know.”
Alam faced a challenging period of late, finding herself in and out of the national setup. In 2023, she played only three T20Is—two during the World Cup in South Africa and one during an away series in Sri Lanka—where she remained wicketless. However, her domestic success earned her a recall for the 2024 Asia Cup in July, where she featured in just two matches before making her next appearance in December.
In the 2024 domestic season, Jahanara Alam delivered an exceptional performance in List A cricket, claiming an impressive 25 wickets in just 9 innings at an outstanding average of 8.88 and an economy rate of 3.12. Despite her domestic success and return to international cricket, Alam was not given many opportunities, highlighting a case of mismanagement.
Following her return for the 2024 T20 Asia Cup, Alam retained her place in the squad for the T20 World Cup but did not get a game. Then, in the home series against Ireland in December, she featured in the T20Is but was sidelined during the ODIs, despite being the leading wicket-taker in that format during the 2024 domestic season. Her last ODI appearance dates back to May 2023.
At 31, Alam has played 52 ODIs, bagging 48 wickets, including her best of 3/18, maintaining an economy rate of 4.26, and 83 T20Is, bagging 60 wickets, including her best of 5/28, maintaining an economy rate of 5.69, while also being handy with the bat. Once regarded as the face of Bangladesh cricket, Alam hopefully finds her footing.
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