'Following instincts' now key for Tigers

Liton Das' illness at the last minute came as a huge blow for Bangladesh, who are set to begin their Asia Cup campaign against Sri Lanka on August 31 in Kandy.

Liton, suffering from a high fever, missed the Tigers' scheduled flight to Colombo yesterday.

Although Liton tested negative for dengue, the 28-year-old is not in the best of shapes to catch the flight today. As things stand, chances are that the opener could well miss Bangladesh's tournament opener against Sri Lanka.

This Asia Cup is being considered as an ideal platform for selectors to fine-tune the squad ahead of the ODI World Cup in India in October-November, but now the selectors face a serious time crunch in order to prepare back-up options to get by in the continental showpiece event.

It will be important for the selectors to find the perfect balance in the squad, and Liton's illness at such a moment surely hampers the plan of the selectors, who had to deal with Ebadot Hossain's injury just a few days ago by adding young pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib to the Asia Cup squad.

Selector Habibul Bashar did seem concerned regarding the Liton issue but the former Bangladesh captain informed that the Tigers will need to cope with the situation and keep their confidence in the rest of the players in the Tigers' camp.

"Look, this is exactly the reason we have formed a bigger pool of players. But, obviously, it would have been great if Liton was fully fit but if he is unable to recover on time, we have to accept as it is what it is. But since it's a viral fever, we expect Liton to recover quickly. Let's see whether he is able to play the first game or not," Bashar told The Daily Star.

Bashar put faith in the younger players to step up.

"We are willing to have our faith in the likes of Tanzid Hasan Tamim, but, obviously, it would have been easier for him if he had someone like Liton alongside him. Since we are already without Tamim Iqbal, it won't be easy for the youngsters to cope immediately but they are capable," Bashar added.

The bilateral series against New Zealand after the Asia Cup will be the final platform to prepare backup options in the squad. The Tigers, however, will have experienced opener Tamim back for the series.

Meanwhile, prominent coach Nazmul Abedeen Fahim still remains optimistic and is ready to bet on the aggressive mentality of the young guns.

"I think this young lot of cricketers has got that strong backbone and the winning mentality which makes me optimistic. They play with a lot of aggression. If I talk about junior Tamim, Towhid Hridoy, or even Shamim Hossain, who is still not established in the team, they can go out and play their game," Fahim said.

Fahim also added: "I think the mindset is very important and someone like Tamim, he will not change his style of batting. Hridoy's approach also helped to bring the change in the mentality of the team and they are now willing to win matches for Bangladesh."

According to the mentor to many stalwarts of Bangladesh cricket, it will be important that the youngsters do not alter their style of play.

"No doubt the youngsters like Tanzid Tamim and others will face tougher challenges compared to what they faced in the past and it will be a different ball game. But it's important they are allowed to express themselves and yes there is not enough time for them. But at times, it's good not to have enough time and follow the instincts," he added.