Opening spot under scanner

As a lingering back injury forced Tamim Iqbal to sit out the upcoming Asia Cup, once again the Bangladesh selectors are faced with a new challenge: to find a replacement for the experienced cricketer in crucial opening position.

With Liton Das primed to take the major responsibility at the opening position in Tamim's absence, it will be interesting to see who will be his partner in the regional tournament, approaching in less than a month's time.

The opening pair of Tamim and Liton had mostly featured in the last year or so. Interestingly, with or without the vastly experienced left-hander, the opening stand remained a vulnerable aspect for the Tigers. Although there were a few bright performances from the duo in the last 18 ODIs, consistency was lacking from both Tamim and Liton.

The team management did try different opening pairs in Tamim's absence. The likes of Naim Sheikh, Anamul Haque, Rony Talukdar and even Najmul Hossain Shanto were featured in the opening stand alongside Liton in different games.

After Tamim announced his sudden retirement after the first ODI against Afghanistan last month, Naim got the opportunity following a prolific run in the Dhaka Premier League. The left-hander, though, failed in both matches and the selectors stayed in a limbo as they look to finalise the Asia Cup squad.

According to national opener Imrul Kayes, it will be important for the selectors to back whoever is given opportunities in the coming days.

"Look, someone like Tamim was not made overnight. If I talk about Liton even, he too got enough opportunities before he eventually started to deliver. But if I talk about the others, did they get enough opportunities compared to Liton? I think it is very important that the selectors back everyone like they did with Liton, or even Shanto," Imrul told The Daily Star.

"Someone like Naim may have failed with the bat in the last series but he did come on the back of a brilliant run in the Dhaka [Premier] League. So, he should get more opportunities."

There were talks over including a fresh face in the opening spot. Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Mahmudul Hasan Joy or Zakir Hasan are candidates for a surprise inclusion heading to the mega event.

Former captain and selector Habibul Bashar Sumon told The Daily Star, "Obviously, losing Tamim is a setback. With Tamim on board, we previously looked for a back-up opener but now we have to look for a proper opener as well. We, however, do have a few options in mind. Let's see what happens."

Imrul thinks "it is very important for the selectors to also groom the youngsters by keeping them in the squad, thus giving them the exposure which will help them whenever they get an opportunity".

"If I talk about Tanzid Tamim or if there are some other options in hand, then why not? But you also need to understand the type of mindset Tanzid will have. It won't be the same for Liton because he then has the responsibility to play the leading role. In that case, Liton may have to change his strategy as a batter and we have to understand that," he said.

Imrul opined that a successful opening pair requires great understanding, and at times there are different roles to play in various situations.

"Now a days we see there are a lot of talks about the strike-rate. I would like to tell you that batters get only one chance and the bowlers have more options in international cricket. No player can bat at the strike-rate of over ninety in every game, and at times it depends on the game situation. If Liton bats at a strike-rate of over ninety, then the batter at the other end may not be able to go at the same flow, and it is natural," said Imrul.

"In world cricket, if I talk about Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, there are very few occasions when you see both the batters scoring at the same rate in a game. So, it is important to complement each other and I feel this is one of the reasons Tamim Iqbal took the pressure on himself and tried to change his game."