‘I will be available to play in any situation and any condition for the team’ – Imrul Kayes

The Bangladesh Cricket Board recently announced an elite camp, featuring the top 30 performers from the Dhaka Premier League, the country’s premier 50-over domestic tournament. The goal of the camp is to have the participating members ready to fill in, should one of the main squad members require a replacement at the World Cup.

Kayes, who was one of the men picked for the camp, said that he has been using it to maximise his preparation and stay match-ready to be able to go in and perform on short notice.

"It’s good for me that I have been practising my skills here. If the opportunity arrives, I will be available to play in any situation and any condition for the team," he said. "Listen, it's not easy to handle the pressure if you call someone suddenly, but this camp will help you to prepare yourself. It's difficult to play well after a sudden call-up.

"Fitness required in an international match and in a domestic league match are totally different. I think those of us who are called up in this camp are very lucky, because if someone gets injured, players will be called up from here. That's why we have taken this camp seriously."

Beyond the camp, the World Cup non-selection has given Kayes fresh perspective on failures and has taught him to take them in his stride. Kayes has been out of the ODI side since December last year. Shortly before getting dropped, he had struck two centuries, including a career-best 144, and 90 in three innings against Zimbabwe. But after just two failures against West Indies less than a month later, he was dropped and has since fallen out of favour.

"When someone comes and goes in the squad, that helps him to realise a lot of things,” Kayes said. “I learn and realise the situation a lot when I am out of the team. I can also apply those things when I am in the squad. I think it's good for me and it doesn't discourage me at all.”