For much of his career, Muktar Ali's name has popped up whenever discussions veered towards Bangladesh picking a seam-bowling allrounder. He was always considered good enough to be in the senior team's preliminary squad but hardly ever made the final XI. Muktar's international debut came in a T20I against Zimbabwe in January 2016 but it went by without a spark, wicketless and just one six hit in a tough chase.

Since his first-class debut in 2006, Muktar has been one of the more attractive cricketers in Bangladesh. He is a rare breed who can bowl at brisk pace and hit sixes almost at will. He has been a regular performer for Rajshahi Division in the NCL, especially with the ball. He took 32 wickets in the 2011-12 season, his best in terms of wickets, while with the bat, in 2013-14, he crossed the 400-run mark in a single NCL tournament for the first and only time so far.

During the same season came his highest first-class score, 168 off 148 balls that included 16 sixes, batting at No. 9. His innings was part of the unbelievable turnaround by Rajshahi after they were 77 for 6 against Chittagong Division, but through two big stands - 347 for the seventh wicket with Farhad Reza and 224 for the eighth wicket with Sunzamul Islam - they recovered to 675 for 9 declared.

But the innings didn't do much for Muktar, who had to bank on his big-hitting in the Dhaka Premier League to keep attracting the selectors' attention. Part of the problem for him has been the lack of big efforts with the ball. With Bangladesh increasingly preferring specialists for the shorter formats, the man who was once dubbed Bangladesh's Ryan Harris (by former coach Shane Jurgensen) still has a long way to go.
Mohammad Isam