In a country full of left-arm spinners, there are few who reached Abdur Razzak's heights. He was the first Bangladesh bowler to reach 200 ODI wickets and 500 first-class scalps.

But for all his success, Razzak didn't quite make it as a Test bowler, having made his debut in 2006. He played 12 matches in eight years before suffering a drop in form in 2014, falling out of favour in all formats. But by regularly topping bowling charts in domestic cricket, Razzak earned a shock recall in the Bangladesh Test side in 2018 with Shakib Al Hasan out injured.

It was just reward for a man known for his perseverance since his first-class debut in 2001-02, when he helped Khulna Division to their first NCL title. In the next season, he spurred Victoria Sporting Club to a surprise Dhaka Premier League win.

But there was some doubt about his bowling action, and he was reported for it in only his second ODI in 2004. Regardless, he became an integral part of the Bangladesh set-up, picking up 13 wickets in the 2007 World Cup. But there was bad news in the following year when the ICC banned him for an illegal action. Having worked intensely with coach Mohammad Salahuddin in Khulna, he got back to international cricket in as little as three months. He claimed his 200th wicket in his 141st ODI, and some weeks later he equalled Mohammad Ashraful's record for the fastest ODI fifty for Bangladesh (21 balls).

But the wickets dried up in 2014, culminating in the selectors saying that he was yesterday's news. Little did they know Razzak would return four years later.
Mohammad Isam