Selectors have work cut out
The eighth edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is nearing its end but as with any domestic cricket platform, especially of the T20 order, performances of local stars are significant for national selectors. Over the years, selectors have not found what they were looking for from the country's premier T20 tournament but this edition of the BPL have been able to throw in some names that give the selectors room to maneuver ahead of the Afghanistan series.
The performances of Munim Shahriar have garnered attention while Mahmudul Hasan Joy, having done well in the first New Zealand Test, has shown T20 merits. Youngsters such as Chattogram Challengers' Mrittunjoy flourished in his first BPL stint, bowling at the death while experienced domestic performer Nahidul Islam also made an impact so far.
Along with the performances of some of the more experienced names in the Tigers' T20I unit in Mohammad Naim, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar and Afif Hossain, combined with influence of veterans such as Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mustafizur Rahman, the team's think tank can draw a picture of what they need in the format.
Bangladesh have struggled with their opening slot at the T20 World Cup and before. With Tamim Iqbal opting out of the T20I setup for another six months, his Minister Group Dhaka teammate Naim Sheikh, who was a frontrunner to play in the Tigers T20 outfit before BPL began, looked out of sorts as his batting position flummoxed in the BPL while he could not take advantage when he played at number 3 or four.
On the other hand, Munim has shown his 'no-fear' approach at the top for Fortune Barishal. Despite having scored over 350 runs in the last Dhaka Premier League at a strike-rate fit for an opener, Munim was left unsold at the BPL draft before Barishal got him from outside the draft. Missing out on most matches this BPL due to contracting Covid-19, he has shown an ability to take on bowlers in the Powerplay, scoring 134 runs in four innings with a staggering strike-rate of 167.50.
Meanwhile, Soumya Sarkar, despite hitting one big knock -- an unbeaten 82 against Sylhet Sunrisers – has not shown consistency after a poor run of games with the bat. And Liton Das, who did not play the Pakistan series at home, has shown fluency after coming back from holiday and will be an automatic-choice as opener in Afghanistan series. Joy, who has also been used as an opener by Comilla in the last few matches, impressed with 207 runs in the tournament, showing his ability to go deep into the innings or pick up quick runs. Another player in the national setup in Mahedi Hasan, impressed with his pinch-hitting abilities at the top in a high-pressure game to keep selectors' eyes on him.
Anamul Haque, too, has impressed again in the BPL, this time hitting 280 runs in nine innings, although his side Sylhet failed to make the top four.
Among bowlers, Mustafizur Rahman has flourished, being the top wicket-taker with 17 so far in eight matches. Mrittunjoy, having played only six games so far, has managed 13 wickets with impressive death-over skills while his Chattogram teammate Shoriful Islam, despite some expensive overs, bagged 12 wickets in 10 games with some good displays as well. Khulna Tigers' Khaled Ahmed has had decent spells with the new ball but also went for runs while Comilla off-spinner Nahidul has kept batters guessing all tournament in the Powerplays, bagging 11 wickets overall with important displays.
With the white-ball series against Afghanistan coming up, the performances of the young faces give selectors ample food for thought.