In the run-up to both the next Asia Cup and the World Cup, it has been emphasized that Bangladesh now has a stable ODI unit, which is a point that has been brought up on several occasions.
Despite the fact that a significant portion of that argument is founded on rationale pertaining to the most recent performances of the team, there are holes in that line of thinking due to the fact that there are a few delicate balancing acts that the team management would have to devise in order to construct the best possible lineup out of the players they have available to them.
The Asia Cup, which will take place later this month, will serve as a significant litmus test for Bangladesh’s squad selection. A team requires a broad variety of tactical settings to account for the variety of opponents it faces. The management of the squad would need players that possess a certain set of skills that are well suited for the specific opponents they face.
How many players, other than the excellent pool of pacers that the Tigers now have, like as Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, and Hasan Mahmud, are truly competing for positions in the squad via their performances?
It is possible that the squad will be able to compete with just five professional bowlers and six specialist batsmen. The issue is that on any given day, there are no substitutes available in the event that one of the expert bowlers fails to perform. It is quite important to have a sixth bowler on your team who is capable of bowling three to four overs in the event of an emergency. The cricket analyst, coach, and mentor to many of the national team veterans, Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, spoke to The Daily Star about the deficiencies that need to be looked at. “He may not be a specialist bowler but he needs to have a certain standard,” he said.
At some point, attention will inevitably be drawn to the number seven slot, which is intended for a hitter who has some facility with the ball.
It may be more beneficial to play another pacer under situations that favor batting rather than having a combination of three spinners and three pacers, such as when the conditions are batting-friendly. It is desirable to have a batsman who is also capable of bowling speed for three to four overs. [Mohammad] Unfortunately, Saifuddin cannot be chosen since he is not accessible. After that, Soumya Sarkar, a batter who can also bowl, is up next. There are no additional players that meet these conditions, thus this competition is over. The club is looking for Soumya to have a certain level of power with the bat, but his bowling hasn’t quite reached that level yet. If we had to judge them just on their ability to score runs, we would place Mahmudullah Riyad ahead of Soumya. He summed up the predicament by saying that despite the fact that there are numerous players, no one can fit into the position one hundred percent.
Even when people like Mosaddek Hossain and Shamim Hossain are there, Fahim stressed that establishing “the fine balance” would be the most important thing to do. “Also, we needed to comprehend the significance of getting players like Afif Hossain and Shamim to bowl,” said the captain. If Afif had the ability to bowl, he would have been selected without question. Even [Mehedi Hasan] Miraz could score runs in a match, leaving the question “Who would bowl in his place?” unanswered.
“In my opinion, having someone in this position really throws off the equilibrium of the squad. If there isn’t a sixth bowler, a captain could feel awkward leading the team. You need a guy who can balance the squad with both the bat and the ball, like what Robin Singh was for India, for example,” Fahim said further.
With Tamim’s participation in the Asia Cup still up in the air, the choices for the opening slot are also still being evaluated at this time.
“Tanzid Tamim, the young opener for the squad that won the Under-19 World Cup, left a really strong impression on me. As a former victor of the Under-19 World Cup, he plays with a certain rhythm and has a particular mental setup. Mohammad (Naim) has to go over a roadblock and figure out how to score runs using his own strategy in order to succeed. It is essential that he plays his own game and has confidence in himself, ” stated Fahim.
Already without a leg-spinner, Bangladesh must now evaluate how well their other players complement one another at the Asia Cup in order to demonstrate that they are ready to form a stable unit.