The presence and the efficiency of the African forwards in the Bangladesh Premier League have become so radiant that the football fans almost began to think whether there is any local striker who can compete with them. But still there is a local player, Zahid Hasan Ameli, who can be bracketed with the foreign legion of Sony Norde, Sunday Chizuba, Samson Iliasu, Wedson Anselme and Nkwocha Kingsley.
Battling with the African giants in the domestic arena, he proved himself as a potential striker by scoring goals on a regular basis.
His 21 goals helped Sheikh Russell Krira Chakra win the treble last season. At the 2013 Federation Cup he was awarded the golden boot for scoring seven goals. He also scored five goals in the 2013 Independence Cup, six in the league and three in the Super Cup.
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SC from Sheikh Russell he continued his superb run of form in the ongoing season. He scored three goals in the season’s curtain raiser competition, Federation Cup, and also helped his side clinch the Independence Cup by scoring highest four goals jointly with Muktijoddha’s Nigerian forward Sunday Chizuba and Sheikh Jamal’s Haitian striker Sony Norde.
After the end of the 11th round of the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League, Ameli has already grabbed six goals and is in third place in the highest-scorers chart jointly with Nigerian midfielder Samson Iliasu of Team BJMC.
Ameka Darlington, the Nigerian striker of Sheikh Jamal, is in top position with 11 goals, while Haitian forward of the same club, Wedson Anselme, and another Nigerian Nkwocha Kingsley of Muktijoddha occupy second place with eight goals each.
Ameli is now looking to carry his club form to the Bangladesh national team and he urged the local football authorities to arrange more international matches in future.
‘We don’t play enough international matches, so we cannot perform well for the national team. But I’m very much optimistic that if we play international matches on a regular basis then we will perform better for sure,’ said Ameli, who was hopeful after the AFC’s decision of giving more room to play more matches for the developing countries like Bangladesh.
‘With the new decision, we will play more international matches than the past which will help us cope with the various conditions,’ said an optimistic Ameli.
He also said that due to some wrong decisions, the other local strikers failed to shine in the domestic league.
‘It’s not an easy job to cement your place in the team as a lone striker. To secure the position you have to score regularly, otherwise you have to leave the position,’ said Ameli.
‘Most of the strikers of Bangladesh failed to continue their form for their wrong choice of clubs. For example, a couple of national team strikers [Sakhwat Hossain Rony and Toklis Ahmed of Sheikh Jamal], who performed better in the last season’s domestic tournaments, didn’t get enough chance to play in the first eleven in the ongoing season for choosing the wrong clubs.’
Rony performed brilliantly for Abahani Limited in the last season and Toklis played well for Team BJMC as well as for the National team. But they signed for a club where they are being treated as back-up striker.
‘To be a successful forward, you have to take the right decision at the right time and before taking field you have to decide on which position you can perform better and try to hold on to that position. I’m always trying to play in my favourite position, which gives me more scoring opportunities,’ explained the 28-year-old national striker.
-With New Age input
