The Academy building at Mirpur is a place where cricketers come and go every day, always under the gaze of camera lenses. In the era of Facebook reels, almost every moment at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium becomes “news”.
Yet among those frequently seen in such “news” coverage, Amite Hasan has rarely been one of them. Quietly and unobtrusively, he has often come to Mirpur and left again. If recognised, he might have been greeted with a casual, “Oh, you’re that Amite!” Otherwise, he has remained in the background.
So who is Amite? At present, his most significant identity is that of a member of Bangladesh’s squad for the upcoming first Test against Pakistan—a newly called-up cricketer to the national side.
Amite has travelled a long and demanding path to reach this point. Although he is from Narayanganj, he changed his cricketing home under the guidance of Rajin Saleh and went on to represent Sylhet Division in the National Cricket League.
In an era dominated by T20 cricket, tournaments such as the NCL (National Cricket League) and BCL (Bangladesh Cricket League) receive less attention, making players like him less familiar to the wider audience. But now, Amite can no longer remain unknown.
I have always been in the selectors’ radar. I have been part of the High Performance unit and the ‘A’ team as well. For three to four years, I have been going from camp to camp. Whenever they felt I deserved a place in the national team, they gave me the opportunity.Amite Hasan
In domestic red-ball cricket, he is yet to become a “big star”, but he is a consistent performer. In 49 first-class matches, he averages nearly 50 with the bat and has scored 11 centuries—performances strong enough to compel selectors to include him in the Test squad.
He made his first-class debut in 2019. Seven years later, he has earned his Test call-up, yet he did not appear overly emotional about it.
“Like every player, I also dreamed of playing for the national team. I feel very happy after receiving the call-up,” he said.
Following the news delivered by chief selector Habibul Bashar, Amite has hardly been able to keep his phone down, constantly receiving congratulatory messages from friends and acquaintances.
He rarely finds opportunities in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and often goes unnoticed even in the Dhaka Premier League (DPL). As a result, Amite has found greater comfort in first-class cricket.
Over the past decade, only two players have scored over 700 runs in a single National League season—Amite being one of them. He has also scored two double centuries, one of which was followed by a century in the next innings. Just a couple of days ago, in the first round of the BCL, he played a match-winning innings of 162 for the East Zone.
Despite such performances, he has never felt frustrated about the delay in his national call-up. Instead, he has always believed he was on the right path.
Life will always have ups and downs. I just want everyone to stand by me even in my bad times.Amite Hasan
“I have always been in the selectors’ radar. I have been part of the High Performance unit and the ‘A’ team as well. For three to four years, I have been going from camp to camp. Whenever they felt I deserved a place in the national team, they gave me the opportunity,” he said.
Now 24 years old, he has a long career ahead of him. The experience gained from first-class cricket will, he hopes, serve him well at the international level. “I have been playing first-class cricket for a long time. I will try to use that experience in the national team,” he added.
As a child, he used to watch Rahul Dravid, but his favourite cricketer is Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim—his teammate in both the National League for Sylhet and the BCL for the East Zone.
Like Mushfiqur, Amite also keeps wicket. He admires Mushfiqur’s lifestyle and discipline. Naturally, he would like his own career to be as long and successful as those of Dravid and Mushfiqur. On this, the softly spoken batter becomes slightly shy: “I don’t think that far ahead. I prefer to stay in the present.”
Having passed the test of patience, Amite is now in the national team. Stepping onto the big stage, he has only one expectation: “Life will always have ups and downs. I just want everyone to stand by me even in my bad times.”
Having endured difficult phases, Amite is now here. Having travelled a hard road, he knows well how to move from the shadows into the light.