Aftab Ahmed

Born on 10 November, 1985, Aftab Ahmed is another Bangladesh player who debuted very early, showed flashes of brilliance before losing his form and eventually being discarded by the selectors.

Aftab came into the national radar following a superb 79 against South Africa in the 2002 U-19 WC. Despite modest returns, he was selected to face England amid criticism that his flashy stroke play was not suited for Tests. The critics were vindicated as Aftab struggled to convert talent into runs as only one 50+ score in 31 innings suggests. Even that knock against England at the Riverside, Chester-le-Street was a typical ODI knock.

His ODI career was a touch better although only 4 of his 14 fifties were against decent Test playing nations. His flashiness with the blade was a treat to watch while it lasted but unfortunately for Aftab, those innings were too short and too few in between. He did have his moments though playing crucial hands as Bangladesh surprised Australia and Sri Lanka. He had his moments in the shortest format of the game with his unbeaten 62 helping Bangladesh stun West Indies in the inaugural T20 WC. His initial bowling took many by surprise as he stunned New Zealand with figures of 5/31. It was the first time he had bowled in his ODI career. He did bowl regularly since then without much success.

Aftab Ahmed signed with the now defunct ICL and was banned for a period of 10 years. He quit the private league after just one season and made himself available for selection. He was selected for the tri-series against England and New Zealand, where he had an inconsistent run, but was still selected for the 2010 T20 WC. Aftab didn't contribute yet again and after that he has been left out of the squad.


By Pradeep KrishnamurthyAs of April 2014