Why so many changes?

The national selectors made wholesale changes to the ODI side for Bangladesh's upcoming series against Afghanistan, slated to begin from February 23 with the first ODI in Chattogram.

How definite are these changes? Given the player profiles and skillsets of players in and around the national setup, Bangladesh's think tank considers ODIs to be their best format.  While ODIs are not a format that selectors have tried to experiment with over the past few years, are they thinking differently now?

As many as seven changes were made to the squad that played the last ODI series against Zimbabwe as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) named a 15-man squad yesterday.

Opener Mohammad Naim, batter Mohammad Mithun, wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan Sohan, spinner Taijul Islam, pacer Rubel Hossain and all-rounders Mosaddek Hossain and Mohammad Saifuddin made way for batter Mahmudul Hasan Joy, pacer Ebadot Hossain and left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed -- included for the first time in the ODI squad -- while batter Najmul Hossain Shanto and Yasir Ali were also recalled.

How heavy are the changes? In terms of numbers, seven defines big changes. Saifuddin, however, is out because he is still recovering from a back injury that saw him head back home from the T20I World Cup in UAE. What about the rest?

Naim had featured in just two ODIs so far and although a regular in the T20I side, he would have been more of a backup to regular openers Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das in the format. But that he was left out altogether suggests that his ongoing form in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and a general lack of confidence whenever he has batted this year, were factored in to exclude him in order to give him some much-needed time to clear his head and work on his game.

Mohammad Mithun's ODI career has been a topsy-turvy one. He scored some runs in the 2018 Asia Cup to state his case but has rarely found runs with consistency. His record in New Zealand, however, has been different with three fifties to his name on Kiwi soil, the most recent of those an unbeaten 73 at Christchurch. A poor run of scores in the Zimbabwe series last year followed by a lack of runs in the domestic circuit may not have aided his case when selectors chose the squad for the Afghanistan series.

Mosaddek Hossain also got opportunities in Zimbabwe but did not take advantage. Despite being one of the top run-scorers in the ODI format of the recently-concluded Bangladesh Cricket League, he did not find luck on his side. His career trajectory has often shown promise, with the ability to come down at lower middle-order and accelerate. That aspect was shown in the T20 format BPL too this year where he was able to push the scoring rate for Sylhet Sunrisers very late. Surprisingly, recent domestic performances did not warrant a place in the squad for Mosaddek. However, often it is not understood why selectors do not find what they are looking for from Mosaddek.

Taijul and Rubel, despite being named in the last few ODI squads, do not feature in many matches and thus the selectors were may be looking for new faces there. The inclusion of Ebadot and Nasum may well be part of a certain process but whether the plan would be carried forward for future series is another thing.

Ebadot's inclusion was because of his performance in the longest format. Challenges in ODI cricket would be difficult but the fast bowler has shown an urge to improve. Regarding his selection, chief selector Minhajul Abedin said: "Ebadot is normally our Test bowler. Overall, the way he has been working with the bowling unit has impressed them and pleased us. We have already seen in the shorter version that he is quite capable of controlling the white ball. That's why we are considering him for the ODIs."

Essentially that is not a bad choice to have alongside Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam as Ebadot bowled well in partnership with the latter two in New Zealand this year.

Nasum's domestic performances, however, warranted a call-up to the ODI side, according to Minhajul. He has been bowling economically in the ongoing BPL and has been a key component for Chattogram Challengers.

Nurul Hasan has not been amongst the runs in the BPL this year and with Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das in the side, the selectors did not prioritise having another wicketkeeper. Sohan played the third ODI in Zimbabwe after Mushfiqur had to leave the bio-bubble in Zimbabwe due to family reasons. Overlooked for many years, it remains to be seen if Sohan is prioritised in the national setup because of underperforming in a small number of games.

Mahmudul Hasan on the other hand has made a good case of being an opening batter in Tests. He also showed good stroke-playing abilities in the BPL and the selectors are hoping he would come good. Najmul Hossain did not have the best of times this BPL but the selectors have decided to bide their time with him, saying 'we've discussed about Shanto with the team management. We are confident enough about him. Being a regular member of our Test squad already, we think this player has a lot of potential in the fifty-over cricket'.

Yasir Ali, who has been in quite a few ODI squads recently, made his case stronger with good performances in the middle-order at the BPL. His performance against Pakistan at home Tests also gave selectors a reason to keep him in the side.

All in all, there have been some positive changes but it does raise the question about why there were so many changes in Bangladesh's most stable format.