Nannu pleased with Shanto’s form

Chief selector Minhajul Abedin Nannu feels Najmul Hossain Shanto has been able to repay the faith of the selectors despite criticism of the batter in the early stage of his career.

The left-hander showed great consistency in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) for Sylhet Strikers, being among the top run-getters in the tournament with 374 runs at an average of 37.40 including three half-centuries.

"Obviously it feels good and not just Shanto, any player who gets criticised and then performs well is a good sign. We had the faith on him when we picked him and we were confident enough which is the reason he has reached this stage," Minhajul told media on Friday.

"The team management were also confident about him and he was able to live up to the expectation and repaid the faith. If he is able to remain in the process, I am sure he will be able to do well for the country in future," Nannu added.

Apart from Shanto, there are a few other local players like young Towhid Hridoy and veteran Nasir Hossain who caught the eyes with their performance in the BPL. With the upcoming home series against England scheduled for next month, Minhajul said the selectors will sit and discuss with the team management before finalising the squad.

"Not just one or two players; there are quite a few from HP who played well. So, it won't be right to point out one or two players' names. We will sit and discuss before we select the team based on their performances. Obviously, the team management will decide the role of the players," he said.

Minhajul also expressed his satisfaction over the standard of the BPL this season and opined that the franchise-based T20 tournament is a good platform for the local players to showcase their talent.