A little boy's big dream

Enamul carries on the left-arm spinners' legacy

Rabeed Imam

January 17, 2005

Enamul Haque jr: A meteoric rise © AFP

"Bangladesh will win their first Test within two years and I'll be in that victorious side," came the bold declaration from a bright-eyed teenager when he sat for a chat with ESPN-Star commentator Alan Wilkins during Bangladesh's home series against New Zealand in October. At that time, it had sounded like an overly enthusiastic proclamation considering the pounding Bangladesh were being subjected to. However, in a matter of months Enamul Haque jr had kept his word. On January 10 at the MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong, he cast a web around the Zimbabwean batsmen from which none escaped.

He did not put a foot wrong. Enamul kept his concentration going to finish with six wickets in the second innings and end Bangladesh's five-year wait for a Test win. Less than a week after his heroics in Chittagong, Enamul was at it again. After claiming seven wickets in the Zimbabwe first innings in Dhaka, he followed with five in the second as if to confirm that his feat at Chittagong was no fluke. He became the youngest bowler (18 years and 41 days on the day) in Test cricket to take a seven-for.

It was not surprising to those who had followed his progress. Last year, in the Plate final of the Under-19 World Cup, Australia were 20-odd runs shy of chasing Bangladesh's 259 with five wickets standing. Enter Enamul and things changed dramatically. He left the Australians clueless to finish with five wickets and help Bangladesh sneak home by eight runs.

Enamul's rise has been meteoric. He emerged from obscurity when Michael Vaughan's team arrived in Bangladesh on a two-Test tour in October 2003. Then part of a predominantly raw Development Squad of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, Enamul was given a chance to bowl a few overs in a three-day warm up game. He grabbed the opportunity by claiming four wickets in the first innings. The confused looks on the English faces prompted the selectors to thrust him into the side for the first Test. Within a couple of overs of his Test debut, Enamul had Marcus Trescothick caught at square leg. Then only 16 years old, he looked a natural in the big league, and his display reportedly prompted Graham Thorpe to predict that he would go on to become one of the world's best left-arm spinners soon.

Surprisingly, he did not play a Test again for another year and was shielded from the Indians before he was unleashed against the unprepared Zimbabweans. By now Enamul had grown a few centimetres and had ample time to develop his bowling further.

"He has no nerves," said one of his team-mates, and the way he goes about his task bears testimony to that. He bowls a nagging line and seldom strays, continuing unflinchingly even when he is taken for runs. This steel could have been a result of the responsibilities thrust upon him at a young age. "He lost his father when he was very young," said his mother after Enamul had won the Man-of-the-Match award at Chitttagong. "We have faced many struggles along the way. Now Enam takes care of the whole family."

Enamul's high-arm action helps him get a teasing loop and the wrist position is near-perfect for that final rip © AFP

Another quality that adds to his reputation is his humility, according to a local journalist who has followed his progress. "He remains aloof to the hype surrounding him and doesn't get carried away with success." Unencumbered by the weights success brings, Enamul has been free to develop his natural abilities. Enamul has the full repertoire of tricks in a classical left-arm slow bowler's armoury. His high-arm action allows him to give the ball a teasing loop and the wrist position is near perfect for that final rip. Most importantly, he has that uncanny knack of turning the ball on any wicket. At the moment he is working on the arm ball and has quite a teacher by his side. "[Mohammad] Rafique has the best arm ball in business and I am learning from him all the time," says Enamul, before dismissing any suggestions of comparing himself to Rafique. "He is the best left-arm spinner in the world. There is no comparison. Just look at his records."

The fact that the most talked about slow bowlers in Bangladesh at the moment are both left-armers is a intriguing. Normally, sturdy young Bangladeshis prefer to bowl fast - and Mashrafe Mortaza is a product of that dream. The majority however fancy left-arm spin. "This trend might have something to do with the myth that it is easier to dry out runs and get wickets if you are a left-arm spinner," says Mohammad Salahuddin, a coach who has worked extensively to nurture the next generation of cricketers at the Bangladesh Institute of Sports. "It allows bowlers to set a six-three field and concentrate on an off and middle line. Now every first class or club side has atleast three left-arm spinners. The bottom-hand dominated technique of most of our right-handers in domestic cricket is also a reason for left-armers being successful."

But the technique of batsmen is getting better gradually with more and more emphasis put on grassroots coaching and with it the competition among left-arm spinners is also increasing. Apart from Enamul and Rafique, there are two more left-arm spinners - Manjarul Islam Rana and Abdur Razzaq - who have played international cricket and shown promise. Rafique, who gave up fast bowling for spin 12 years ago, has gone on to become an idol for a whole generation. Enamul's amazing story will ensure that there are many more chapters to the left-armers tale.

Rabeed Imam is a sports writer for the Daily Star in Dhaka.

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