Bangladesh’s Asia Cup squad was named yesterday with youngster Tanzid Hasan Tamim the only new face. There were some interesting picks by Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and, by and large, the selection was based on forward-thinking, done after discussions with both the team management, head coach Chandika Hathurusingha, and newly appointed ODI skipper Shakib Al Hasan.
The squad left little room for controversy, with due process maintained, and not many options were left outside the 17 members picked for the Asia Cup. The selectors yesterday clarified the team was only being announced for the Asia Cup and not the coming series against New Zealand or the World Cup.
The most interesting part of the selection was the inclusion of the trio: Afif Hossain, Shamim Hossain and all-rounder Mahedi Hasan. Shamim, yet to make his ODI debut, came up with an adequate performance in the first T20I against Afghanistan during a pressure situation and was rewarded.
Mahedi last featured for the Tigers last year in the previous Asia Cup, played in the T20 format. He had struggled since then but his performance in the recently concluded Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, and his profile as an off-spinner who can bat, meant the team management wanted his versatility.
Afif, meanwhile, did not perform up to expectation and his inclusion was the most discussed by selectors. He was picked on potential.
“We have discussed a lot about all the players. We discussed a lot about Afif and on why the team management wanted him. There were also some considerations on what the captain and the head coach wanted, and that’s how we provided support,” chief selector Minhajul Abedin said about Afif during a press conference yesterday.
Along with Mehedi Hasan Miraz, the aforementioned trio may have to contend for the number seven or number eight positions in the batting order. Given the profiles, Minhajul clarified that these picks were not made with batting order in mind, rather in the flexibility of their utility.
“Not a matter of playing them at seven or eight. They will be played in the position that the team management sees fit. It’s not that they have been assigned particular positions. According to team’s requirement, they may bat higher up the order or at lower order.”
After opener Tamim Iqbal’s injury, the team management favoured two openers in the squad, picking Tanzid and Mohammad Naim. Tanzid got the reward of hitting three fifties in the Emerging Teams Asia Cup. Naim, meanwhile, despite not having channelled his considerably good domestic performance internationally, was carried due to the requirement for a backup option at the opening slot.
Mahmudullah Riyad’s inclusion was a topic of great interest but the 37-year-old, dropped from the last three ODI series following England ODI series at home in March this year, did not get in with team management’s plan weighing against his Asia Cup inclusion.
“We had a long discussion regarding Mahmudullah [Riyad] initially. Afterwards, the team management gave us a plan entailing how they want to approach each team [in the Asia Cup]. Riyad has been left out after considering all these scenarios,” Minhajul said, adding there was no discussion on Soumya Sarkar for the Asia Cup.
All the usual names were there while Nasum Ahmed made a return to the side and was picked over Taijul Islam. The Tigers have also named all five of their pacers, with rotation an important aspect ahead of the World Cup.
