Ziaur Rahman born 2 December 1986 in Khulna is a first-class and List A cricketer from Bangladesh. He is a right-handed batsman and right arm fast medium bowler. He is known as the “Hit man” of Bangladesh cricket team for hitting sixes in every game.
A hard-hitting all-rounder, Ziaur Rahman has had limited opportunities at showcasing his skills at the highest level. The right-handed batsman made an inauspicious debut against Sri Lanka during the one-day series in 2013, getting dismissed for a first-ball duck. In fact his second knock also turned out to be a duck – against the same opponents. While his ODI start was shaky, he was more at home in the T20 format of the game, blasting a 17-ball unbeaten 40 on his debut agianst Ireland.
Even in his early days, batting aggressively came naturally to him. But it was always on the backburner, something of shock value rather than regularly useful in the lower-order. In his debut season, Ziaur picked up 18 wickets before bagging a haul of 30 in the 2005-06. His performance for Khulna and in the Dhaka Premier League over the next two years was noticed, and he was one of those touring in Bangladesh’s team for the 2007 World Twenty20. He didn’t get a game but continued to do well back home when he took 38 wickets in the 2008-09 season.
At that point, he suffered the injury to his right knee which required surgery as well as a long rest. The changes in his physicality meant that bowling fast was out of the question. His cricket career was on the line, but he got a second chance, as a batsman in the Dhaka league. However, Ziaur hasn’t impressed with his chances. Given a Test debut against Zimbabwe in 2013, he returned with poor figures of 14 and 0. He was left out of the squad despite taking a potentially match-winning four wickets in the second innings. That turned out to be final Test and he gradually drifted away from the national squad – from all formats of the game. Ziaur remains an useful asset in the shortest version of the game and is a part of various franchises in the Bangladesh Premier League.
That earned him an ODI debut against Sri Lanka in March 2013 and a month later, he was the 68th Bangladeshi to play Tests when he was picked for the second match against Zimbabwe.
