With 18 wickets in 13 matches for his team Khulna Titans in the recently concluded fourth edition of the AKS Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), he was very much on track to become the highest wicket-taker of the season. But due to an unfortunate hamstring injury in midst of the tournament, Shafiul Islam's dream run had to deal with the blow of an abrupt halt. [বাংলায় পড়ুনঃ হাল ছাড়েননি শফিউল] To make matters worse, it was revealed later that the paceman would need at least three weeks before starting to bowl again, which literally shut down his hope of travelling to Australia and New Zealand with the national team for the series against the Kiwis later this month and early January of next year. Eventually, Shafiul was replaced by another speedster Rubel Hossain. With the form he was enjoying in the BPL, it is most disappointing for Shafiul to sit out while the national team is playing abroad. He may have become the highest wicket-taker among the local bowlers in BPL-4 but for the man in question, it only added insult to his injury. "It's really very hurtful. I had the opportunity to become the overall highest wicket-taker of the tournament. But the hamstring injury blew away everything. Actually if it is written in my fate, what else to do! I could have gone New Zealand with a very good rhythm. Not only could I give good service to the national team, but it would also benefit my own career," said Shafiul. On his becoming highest wicket-taker of BPL-4 among Bangladeshi bowlers, he said: "It's something to be proud of. Then again from another point of view, it's disappointing. Because there's also a lot to regret. There's no limit to satisfaction. I now feel had I played a few more matches, I could have become the overall highest wicket-taker (which is Dwayne Bravo with 21 wickets) as well. And even if I were, I might have thought, getting two-three more would have been better." Shafiul claimed that he had been confident of doing well in this BPL even before the curtain raised. "I was confident. Actually this confident came when I came back to the national team after two long years. Believe it or not, when I was playing my first game in two years against Afghanistan, I was almost in a pressure cooker situation. I was more nervous than I had been in my debut game. But things started changing from the England series. I performed pretty well in the ODIs and the Test match, and gradually I started getting back the confidence in myself." Shafiul credited the Khulna Titans captain Mahmudullah Riyad behind his success in this BPL, "I never gave much thought regarding the conditions of the wickets. What the team management is asking from me and what Riyad bhai is wanting me to do meant much more than anything to me. I just tried and bowled according to our team plan, and that was my soul target. And for this, I must give credit to Riyad bhai. We had played together in the DPL before. I had trust in his captaincy. He too believed in my bowling. So the combination between the two of us worked well and led us to success. "In first few matches, I had brought up breakthroughs in the initial overs. So the expectation level on me by the team management rose higher. The captain too used to be relieved while bringing me into the attack. It's true that I bowled aggressively but I also thought about checking the opposition's flow of run scoring all the time as I knew it would put pressure on them if they couldn't score at will, and then either I or my other teammates would pick up their wickets." Asked in which match did he think he bowled the best, Shafiul said, "To be honest, I enjoyed my bowling on every occasion except for two instances -- one against Rajshahi Kings (2/53), that day Darren Sammy was too good to handle; and the other one against Comilla Victorians (1/46). Again I think my best bowling too came against these two teams. I got two wickets against Comilla for 19 runs, picked up (Marlon) Samuels and (Nazmul Hasan) Shanto. Again in the match against Rajshahi when Riyad bhai won us the game in the last over, I had my hands on the name of two batsmen. 23 runs were required off three overs and I came to bowl and dismiss two set batsmen Sammy (31) and Mominul Haque (64)." So, with the New Zealand series out of his luck, what's Shafiul's next target? "First I need to be fit again. Hopefully I will be able to start bowling within next two or three weeks. Then my goal will be to get back my rhythm as soon as possible. Bangladesh national team has a packed international schedule next year. So I am not seeing my end just yet. I am looking to get back into the team again. And if I can play up to my potential, it will be just a matter of time before being called up once again. And if got chance, winning matches for the country is on my agenda. I want to perform, just like what I did in this BPL." - Jannatul Naym Pieal, Correspondent, bdcrictime.com