I could’ve become Bangladesh’s highest run-getter: Shahriar Nafees

Bangladesh national team cricketer and former captain, Shahriar Nafees is a name that all fans of the team are familiar with.

His career started off with a lot of promise when he burst into the international scene in 2005 but eventually fizzled out by 2008, before he joined the rebel Indian Cricket league (ICL), and subsequently faced a ban by the BCB.

He did return back to the national team in 2010 after cancelling his ICL contract, but a lean patch with the bat saw him lose his place. 

Nafees spoke in detail about his career in a live video of The Daily Cricket Show powered by HardPixelTV and admitted that he should have achieved more in international cricket and scored more runs.

"Obviously I am an underachiever in international cricket. If I was able to cement my place in the team later on, I could have played 200 ODIs and 50-60 Test matches. I also would've become the highest run-getter in all formats. That didn't happen unfortunately. But some good performances in domestic cricket have somewhat made up for the loss."

Nafees, now 35, is still thankful to his fans and his supporters for being by his side throughout his career and considers it as the biggest achievement in his career. 

"The biggest achievement in my career is getting the love of people from all over the country. People still remember me, love me and ask why I am not in the national team. And I regret not being serious enough to develop my fitness. Had I been more concerned about it, I could've been still playing for Bangladesh."

He however does admit that he wasn't as fit as he is now and if he was in his current shape during his recall into the team, he might have had more time to prove himself. 

"When I see the images or videos of my playing days in the national team, I find myself not as fit as I am right now. In those days, I used to be more concerned about skill development, not so much about fitness. I've made a mistake not being too serious about it. I've learned to believe that if you want to achieve something, you have to be completely committed. Credit to my family and especially my wife who pushed me to develop my fitness. In domestic cricket, I have to compete with the boys who are in their twenties. If I move slowly, my reputation as a player and a competitor will be in trouble."

Nafees arguably played one of the greatest innings by a Bangladesh batsman in Tests when he scored 138 against Australia in 2006 and he believes that is his best international innings

"That 138 against Australia is my favourite innings, no doubt. They were a formidable attack, only (Glenn) McGrath wasn't there because of his wife's illness. But still they were the greatest Test side of that time. It was great how I handled that bowling attack. I had played four Test matches in the middle-order before that and one failure here could've ended my Test career. So that was my favourite knock in national colors."

With Nafees still playing domestic cricket, and among the runs as well, he has not shut the door on making a return to the national team and wants to keep himself as ready as he can be if the chance arises again.

"Making a comeback in the national team doesn't depend only on performances. There are some other factors as well, like what the board, management, selectors are planning for the future. I've been saying this for the past 5 to 7 years that I always try to perform well for the side I play for and make myself eligible for selection. The ultimate goal is not playing for the national team, rather I want to win matches for whichever side I play. And if there's a drastic change, you never know..."

Many consider the way the selectors have treated Nafees in recent years by overlooking his performances in the domestic circuit as harsh. 

Playing cricket for two decades, he wants to stay with cricket in some way or another when he does eventually retire.  

"I've been playing cricket for two decades. I never thought beyond cricket in fact. So when I call it quits, I will be doing something related to cricket. It may be commentary, coaching or in administration. So I will be involved in something related to cricket which can ensure my financial security as well as freedom."