'Pressure is there'

Admits, struggling Enamul who is anxiously waiting to get his first Ranji wicket for Maharashtra

Suhrid Barua, Pune Mirror, November 11, 2008

Enamul Haque's inclusion in the Maharashtra Ranji side as the lone foreign player caught many in the state cricket circles by surprise. And now that 'surprise' is being replaced by growing 'frustration' over the former Bangladesh left-arm spinner's failure to deliver with the ball.The 21-year-old tweaker had a forgettable day in the Ranji opener against Tamil Nadu, and against Andhra he continued to struggle, making little impression when the onus was on him to come to the party.

The man in question admits he is feeling the pressure. "Pressure is always there. I would be lying if I say there's no pressure. It's natural for my team to expect me to get my name in the wickets column on a regular basis and I am not able to do that so far," Enamul says with a smattering of disappointment.

The soft-spoken Bangladeshi has already bowled 58 overs, conceding 246 runs and is still anxiously waiting to snare his first wicket for Maharashtra. "It's been quite a wait. I don't have a choice but to stay positive and patient. I thought the wicket was another belter like the first one. I don't want to give any excuses for being wicketless, but must say that luck plays a big factor these days. I hope I get over my bad patch soon and help my team win matches," he sought to put things in perspective.

Maharashtra team selector and manager Pandurang Salgonakar agreed that the team management is concerned about Enamul's form with the ball. "We are definitely worried about his bowling form. He needs to settle down quickly before it's too late. We cannot afford to have a bowler like Enamul go wicketless for long. Coach Shaun Williams will have a talk with him and lets hope he finds his bowling form sooner than later as there is a lot of cricket to be played in this match," he opined.

Enamul's downcast showing was overshadowed by a lion-hearted five-wicket haul by seamer Samad Fallah (5-65) to resuscitate Maharashtra's hopes of staying in the contest. The left-arm bowler moved the ball both ways with aplomb and reduced Andhra to 262 for 6 at stumps. At 246 for three with six overs to go, Andhra seemed to have taken the day one honours on the back of a workmanlike century by opener Hemal Watekar (142), but in Fallah they found someone who played a spoiler to their plans.

"It's a kind of wicket where no total is safe. There sense of satisfaction of getting a fiver on a batsmen-friendly track is huge. I will savour this moment," said the 23-year-old who picked up his second five-wicket haul in Ranji Trophy (his career-best returns of 6-49 came against Himachal Pradesh at Dharamsala last season.