Razzak, Tushar climb first-class summits

Tushar Imran and Abdur Razzak have been room-mates, team-mates and friends for most of their playing careers. Now, the duo is closing in on two significant landmarks in Bangladesh's first-class scene. Over the past week, Imran made his 10000th first-class run, while Razzak claimed his 500th first-class wicket. Both feats are the first in the history of Bangladesh cricket, reports ESPNcricinfo.

"We remain room-mates as senior players," Imran said. "I am very happy for Razzak. We both had a chance to reach the milestones in our last game but now we have another crack at them. Razzak has been a great servant of Bangladesh cricket, representing the senior side for a long time. He really deserves this record." Imran and Razzak have both been in blazing form in the last seven first-class seasons, scoring 5056 runs and taking 340 wickets respectively. The prolific form has helped Khulna Division win the NCL four times during this period, which took them to six overall trophies. In the process, they have eclipsed Rajshahi Division's five NCL titles.

Both work relentlessly during the pre-seasons, with prime focus on their fitness. "It is a big factor. I am in the field literally all year round; if it rains, I am in the gym, otherwise I am constantly at training," Imran said.

Imran played his last Test in 2007 while Razzak's stop-start career ended in 2014, when he also lost his ODI and T20 places. It is observed that by ignoring Razzak, the national selectors have wholly discredited Bangladesh's wealth of left-arm spin. Razzak's name still crops up whenever a selection is due, but the likes of Saqlain Sajib, Arafat Sunny and, currently, Sunzamul Islam has been preferred ahead of him.