The veiled concerns over Shanto’s waning form
The discussions over Liton Das's struggles with the bat has almost overshadowed the waning form of skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto, whose lack of big scores and poor strike rate in Twenty20 Internationals should be a matter of concern for Bangladesh heading into next month's T20 World Cup.
Batting at No.3, Shanto presumably plays the anchor role for the Tigers in T20Is. But even as an anchor, his strike rate of 111.05 is not in line with the demands of the modern game.
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Shanto's strike rate is the second lowest among all captains of the 20-team T20 World Cup, barring the Uganda skipper Brian Masaba (108), who is a bowling all-rounder.
Moreover, to be considered a successful anchor, one has to score consistently with the bat, something Shanto has struggled to do in the shortest format in recent times.
In 33 T20Is, Shanto has accumulated 731 runs at an average of 26.40. However, in his last 12 innings, he has made just 185 runs at an average of 18.50 and strike rate of 106.32.
The Bangladesh captain has scored just one half-century in this period, an unbeaten 38-ball 53 against Sri Lanka in Sylhet.
Shanto could not get going in the first two T20Is against Zimbabwe as well, making 21 off 24 and 16 off 15 in the two matches respectively, leaving the team vulnerable while chasing on both occasions.
On Monday, team's assistant coach Nic Pothas spoke to the media before conducting a training session with fast bowling coach Andre Adams, batting coach David Hemp and spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed where Soumya Sarkar and the squad members, who weren't picked for the first two matches, attended.
Pothas dismissed any concern with Shanto's batting while heaping praises on him for his captaincy.
"Absolutely not. He's playing fantastically well," Pothas told the media at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.
"What's been the most impressive thing about him is how he has captained this group and how he has led this group… For a young captain, I think he has been very, very courageous, very brave in the way he has run this group, and you'll see the benefit of that in the future," he added.
Pothas also said that if Shanto bats for a long period, he has the ability to make up for his slow start.
"His strike rate is immaterial because if he goes through, that strike rate then goes through the roof. So, it's probably a case of when he gets to that point."
There are still three matches to go in the series where Shanto is likely to get opportunities to get some runs under his belt. With the team leading 2-0 in the five-match series, captain Shanto now needs to come good with the bat in hand, set an example for his teammates and head into the T20 World Cup, his first major test as skipper, with confidence.
Strike Rates of T20I Captains
01. Aiden Markram - 150 (SA)
02. Joss Buttler - 145 (ENG)
03. Rovman Powell - 144 (WI)
04. Rohit Sharma - 140 (IND)
05. Saad Bin Zafar - 139 (CAN)
06. Mitchell Marsh - 135 (AUS)
07. Paul Stirling - 135 (IRE)
08. Monank Patel - 134 (USA)
09. Richie Berrington-132.20 (SCO)
10. Wanindu Hasaranga - 130 (SL)
11. Babar Azam - 129 (PAK)
12. Rashid Khan - 128 (AFG)
13. Rohit Paudel - 125 (NEP)
14. Kane Williamson - 123 (NZ)
15. Gerhard Erasmus - 123 (NAM)
16. Zeeshan Maqsood - 122 (OMA)
17. Scott Edwards - 121 (NED)
18. Assad Vala - 120 (PNG)
19. Najmul Hossain Shanto - 111 (BAN)
20. Brian Masaba - 108 (UGA)
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