In a recent interview, Saifuddin also revealed how crazy he was as a supporter of Shakib during his early cricketing days.
Saifuddin was inducted to international cricket in 2017 in a T20I match against Sri Lanka in Colombo. In the same series, Bangladesh’s then captain Mashrafe told goodbye to T20I cricket. In October same year, Saifuddin got his ODI cap against South Africa in at Kimberley.
Till the date, Saifuddin represented Bangladesh in 22 ODIs and 15 T20Is. Within the first three years of his international career, Saifuddin is often compared with Mashrafe and Shakib as the future star of the Tigers. However, Saifuddin believes what Mashrafe and Shakib have been doing for Bangladesh since their debut is enormous.
“To be honest, I feel proud when people compare me with Mashrafe bhai or Shakib bhai. As a human being, it’s always good to hear own fame. But I don’t take this seriously. Both of Mashrafe and Shakib bhai played more than 200 ODIs each. In contrast, I didn’t do anything to be proud of. I think I am at the primary stage of my career,” Saifuddin told during an interview with sports presenter Noman Mohammad.
“But yes, this comparison helps me get more confident and play well. Masrhafe bhai told in an interview before the World Cup that I’m an asset. It’s a great honour that they have a belief in me,” Saifuddin added.
The allrounder said he always tries to perform well to justify his comparison with Mashrafe and Shakib. He said, “I always try to perform well so that I get close to what they did for Bangladesh cricket. Let’s see what time offers me.”
The 23-year-old allrounder also revealed how crazy he was as a supporter of Shakib during his early cricketing days. He said it was like a dream comes true for him to play with Shakib in the same team and share the dressing room with the best allrounder of the country.
“I used to wear 75 no jersey when I was a player in the age-level cricket as Shakib bhai also wears this jersey. But when I got a call in the national team in 2017, Shakib bhai told me that he will continue to wear this jersey throughout his career. He also told me to wait to get this jersey jokingly. I told him to allow me to wear jersey no 74 so that I remain close to him,” Saifuddin said in the interview.
“I follow Shakib bhai since my early cricketing days. I saw him for the first time during our U-15 camp back in 2010. He came to our camp and gave a speech. It was very encouraging for us,” he added.