Sajidul Islam is one of the many BKSP (Bangladesh Sports Institute) graduates who have gone on to greater success, but he is different from the others on one point: he came back after being written off. He is one of those rare cricketers in Bangladesh who returned to the Test team more than five years after playing his first two Tests. He made his debut in New Zealand in 2008, called up as a replacement for Syed Rasel. He impressed in those conditions, swinging the ball and even dismissing Stephen Fleming. But once he was home, he was shooed away. In 2013, he made a successful return in the Test side when he played against Zimbabwe in Harare.

A left-arm pace bowler, Sajidul's strength is the natural angle to the right-hand batsman as well as the delivery that moves away from the left-hander. It is hard to get both in Bangladeshi conditions but Sajidul has often taken early wickets, and is usually useful with the second new ball too. He doesn't operate with a lot of pace but generates enough to trigger movement which ultimately brings him the wickets.

While studying in BKSP, Sajidul played in the Dhaka Premier League for a few seasons but was usually erratic. He became far more disciplined once he made it to the Barisal Division side in the National Cricket League. Since 2005-06, he played the next five seasons for this divisional side though he was from up north, Rangpur, which at the time didn't have a first-class team. Sajidul wasn't good enough to break into the Rajshahi Division side, but he wheeled away for Barisal.

After two modest seasons, the 2007-08 season went so well for Sajidul that he was the first call the selectors made when Rasel was injured in the New Zealand tour. He went there with 36 first-class wickets that season, at an average of 19.63. After the two Tests, and the subsequent snub from those same selectors, the next three seasons went by without many great performances.

In the 2012-13 season, Sajidul picked up 24 wickets for Rangpur Division, but it was not even good enough to get him into a team in the Bangladesh Premier League. The call finally came when Sylhet Royals coach Mohammad Salahuddin sought his services ahead of a crucial game in the 2013 tournament. Sajidul, already looking for a gig, complied gleefully as he picked up three for 23 in the race-to-the-final game that was famous for Chris Gayle's marauding century.

Another spate of injuries in Bangladesh's pace stock forced the selectors into bringing back Sajidul into the national set-up. It marked a complete circle for Sajidul.
Mohammad Isam