Aftab Ahmed was one of the more promising entrants into the Bangladesh fold when in 2004 he made both his Test and ODI debuts. The pocket-sized powerhouse from Chittagong wowed the world with his audacious and carefree strokeplay.

The images that stand out are Aftab's defiant 82 — the highest score for Bangladesh in the 2005 series against England — at Chester-le-Street during his first away series, and the last over six that sealed the deal against Australia at Sophia Gardens during the limited overs leg of the same tour. Also, one oft-overlooked aspect of his cricket is his brilliant fielding; he made the point position his own.

He was selected to play the World Cup in 2007, where although he did not set the world alight, he did have his moments. Mohammad Ashraful carried all the glory for the victory against South Africa at Guyana, and rightly so, but what is often unacknowledged is Aftab's role in the victory. Entering the scene with the score reading 84 for four, Aftab joined Ashraful who was only starting his now-famous innings, and the two combined for 56 valuable runs, with Aftab (35off43) scoring the lion's share. The partnership gave the team a platform from which Ashraful could work his all-too-rarely-seen magic, paving the way for one of Bangladesh's most memorable victories.

Aftab's story is one of two parts. He is at once the player who can delight spectators and have them inching towards the edge of their seats, and also one who frustrates and infuriates when he throws his wicket away in displays of unwarranted audacity.

The latter, sadly, has been occurring more and more, and coupled with his defection to the Indian Cricket League (ICL), has seen him slip out of favour with the selectors, relegating him to the status of a mere bystander during the 2011 World Cup.