Mohammad Saifuddin believes the real challenge now begins. After 13 months away from the national team, the pace-bowling all-rounder is back in Bangladesh colours for the three-match T20I series in Sri Lanka, starting on 10 July.
Speaking to reporters at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport before departing on 7 July, the 28-year-old opened up on the emotional toll of his absence and his determination to make the most of this comeback.
“The journey has been a long one, as you all know,” Saifuddin said. “It’s been 13 months since I last played for the national team. Getting a place is hard, but keeping that place is even harder. That’s my main goal now.”
Saifuddin last featured for Bangladesh in May 2024, when he took 8 wickets in 4 matches against Zimbabwe in a T20I series. Despite his performances, he was overlooked for the World Cup squad. Since then, his career has been riddled with setbacks — taking leave from the ‘A’ team to be with his pregnant wife, missing the Global T20 League in Canada due to visa complications, and eventually taking a two-month break from cricket to deal with mental fatigue.
Returning to the BPL earlier this year with Rangpur Riders, Saifuddin didn’t stand out statistically, picking up 12 wickets in 12 matches and scoring 111 runs at a strike rate of 158.31 across 8 innings. Still, the selectors have shown faith in him once more.
“I’ve done a few camps in Mirpur and Chattogram. I tried to push myself beyond my limits,” he said. “I don’t know how successful I was, but maybe the selectors were satisfied. That’s probably why I got this opportunity.”
Saifuddin, who has taken 42 wickets and scored 206 runs in 38 T20Is for Bangladesh, admitted he hasn’t yet made a significant mark for the national team. But he’s hopeful that this fresh start, underpinned by hard work and guidance from senior figures in camp, could turn things around.
“I worked on the basics — swing, yorkers, line and length. I also had conversations with Nazmul bhai in the bowling camp. I’m trying my best. Let’s see what happens.”
While bowling remains his primary skill, Saifuddin stressed the importance of contributing with the bat as well. Citing the example of Tanzim Hasan Sakib’s cameo in the second ODI against Sri Lanka, which helped seal a win for Bangladesh, he pointed to the growing value of genuine all-rounders.
“If you look at England, they regularly play two or three pace-bowling all-rounders,” he said. “The more all-rounders a team has, the better it is for the team and for the country. I’ll definitely try to contribute, whether that’s with bat or ball.”
“There are other pace-bowling all-rounders who can bat well too. That’s a big plus for the team.”
Bangladesh’s T20I squad for the Sri Lanka tour includes other bowling all-rounders such as Mehidy Hasan and Nasum Ahmed. Saifuddin’s experience and versatility could prove valuable as the team looks to fine-tune its balance ahead of future white-ball assignments.
With the first T20I set for Thursday, 10 July, all eyes will be on whether Saifuddin makes the playing XI — and more importantly, whether he can seize his second chance.