Taijul Islam

His first weeks at international level were remarkable. Within roughly a month, and with Zimbabwe as the opposition each time, he collected both a hat-trick and an eight-wicket haul, one of these coming in his very first ODI. Few cricketers manage either achievement across a whole career. Once that series against Zimbabwe was over, he was handed a central contract.

From then on Taijul has been a fixture in Bangladesh squads, though not always in the starting eleven. Spin bowling, and left-arm spin especially, is plentiful in Bangladesh, so places in the side are hard won and there is little room for a bowler to slip up.

Most of his appearances for his country have been in Test cricket. Despite owning a hat-trick in the 50-over format, he has not been picked for many ODIs. He has generally kept his economy in check, but his batting has been seen as a weakness, since a number of rival spinners can also contribute useful runs, and that gap in all-round value may have counted against him in the shorter game.