Jaker Ali: Bangladesh’s rising star across formats

Jaker Ali can certainly be considered a star in the making for Bangladesh, across formats.

The right-handed batter signed off the West Indies tour with a match-winning knock in the third and final T20I against the West Indies in Arnos Vale at St. Kitts. However, he is unlikely to retain the tag of a T20I specialist that he earned after breaking into the international arena, considering he showed glimpses of his talent in the Test and ODI series as well, which seemed to make him the find of Bangladesh cricket in 2024.

Jaker had already scored fifties against South Africa and the West Indies in Tests to demonstrate his caliber in longer-format cricket, while also making his mark in the 50-over format.

"I have to say about Jaker as he played consistently in Test, ODI, and T20, and it's a big thing for the team and Bangladesh team," Bangladesh's T20I skipper Litton Kumar Das told reporters after the third T20I game against the West Indies, where Jaker came up with a blistering unbeaten 72 to help the visitors thrash the West Indies by 80 runs, sweeping the series 3-0.

Hannan Sarkar, a member of Bangladesh's selection panel, echoed the same sentiment regarding Jaker while speaking with Cricbuzz on Friday.

"Yes, we can say that he is one of our finds if we consider his performance in three formats. I think he has the ability to play according to different formats," said Hannan.

"Look, there were several names ahead of Jaker when we picked him for Tests, and I said he played longer-version cricket and knows what to do at different points of time. He played well against Pakistan (with the A team), but before that, when West Indies came to Bangladesh, he played two innings of unbeaten 70-plus and 30-plus runs, and in one innings, he faced more than 150 balls. He is such a player that if you give him a chance in Tests, no matter what, he will try to survive at the wicket whether he is getting hit or not. In ODIs, he will try to find his own way, and in T20Is, everyone is seeing what he is capable of. His adaptability is better than that of many other players," he said.

"Look, after the T20Is, he played Tests (against South Africa), and after playing Tests, he was taken to India but did not play there (in the Test series) because he was a backup player. When he got a chance against South Africa, he came and performed. He played Tests before ODIs because we needed players in Tests and T20Is more than in ODIs. There are still Mushfiqur, Shakib, and Mahmudullah, and it was only because everyone was not fit that Jaker got the chance in ODIs. In T20Is and Tests, there is space because there is no Riyad and Shakib," he added.

Hannan further noted that Jaker had prepared himself for international cricket by playing and performing regularly in domestic cricket.

"If you see, he contributes everywhere in the domestic circuit, whether it is the Dhaka Premier League (List A tournament), BPL (Bangladesh Premier League, the country's lone franchise-based T20 tournament), or even the NCL (traditional first-class tournament). In every format, he contributes to the team. His ability to adapt has grown by playing in domestic cricket," said Hannan.

"When he plays Tests, he is determined to stay at the wicket at any cost. When he played for Abahani (in the DPL) last season, I felt that he was constructing innings as required in one-day cricket. Everyone saw his T20 ability in the last BPL, so he was being readied in the domestic circuit, largely due to the fact he played a lot of domestic cricket. He played Under-19 cricket with Miraj (Mehidy Hasan), and after that, he was out of sight for some time. During that time, he played a lot of domestic cricket, and his performance there helped him be ready for international cricket. That is the reason he is performing like this in international cricket," he said.

However, Hannan insisted that it won't be right to think Jaker can bat higher in the order just because he is scoring runs regularly, a pattern often followed in Bangladesh cricket, which eventually makes players pay the price.

"I think if you promote him up the order, he will struggle at this point in his career. Miraj can play up the order because he understands what international cricket is all about, having played it for so many years. The swing and movement of the ball are different when you are coming in during the fifth over versus the twenty-fifth over. When Jaker fully adapts to international cricket, his batting order can be changed," he said.

"What Miraj can do, Jaker cannot do at the moment. In domestic cricket, he performed batting at four or five, and here he is batting after five or six because the standards are different in domestic and international cricket. In domestic cricket, what he can do at four, in international cricket it is challenging because of the quality of the opposition. We have to think about these things, and if we take decisions based on emotions, like thinking he is scoring runs so let's promote him, that won't work," he said.

"I cannot say what happened in the past, but I don't think that will be the case as we, in the selection table, discuss very specifically regarding a player," he said.

Hannan added that while it's too early to say whether Jaker can be a perfect replacement for Mahmudullah, who is in the last leg of his career, as both of them play similar roles. Jaker, though, is certainly making a case.

"I think it's too early to say whether he is the perfect replacement for Mahmudullah, but yes, he can be a good option as a finisher, a role portrayed by Mahmudullah across formats, provided we maintain him properly and don't push him too fast into other places in the batting order," he concluded.