Habibul Bashar: I saw Tanzid closely in the Emerging Cup and knew what kind of player he is
The management of the Bangladeshi team is glad to see that their new opening duo of Litton Kumar Das and Tanzid Tamim, as well as their improvised backup opener Mehedy Hasan, are racking up runs in the warm-up games.
The management of the Bangladeshi team is glad to see that their new opening duo of Litton Kumar Das and Tanzid Tamim, as well as their improvised backup opener Mehedy Hasan, are racking up runs in the warm-up games.
The Bangladesh team’s discussion about Litton’s opening partner and backup opener was heavily influenced by Tamim Iqbal’s exclusion from the 15-member World Cup squad.
There were widespread rumors that Mohammad Naim and Anamul Haque would be selected for the 15-person squad, either as the starting opener or as a backup.
The think tank was undoubtedly worried about the opening position, given that their opening duo in the previous 10 ODIs averaged 20.4 points. In light of this, it appeared as though Litton and Tanzid’s century stand against Sri Lanka in the warm-up game had done them the world of good.
Litton’s ability was never in question, but there have been questions regarding Tanzid’s ability to demonstrate that he belongs at the highest level.
Since many believed, he would struggle to manage the pressure at this level, many cricket experts questioned the timing of his selection. Tanzid, though, has risen to the challenge, scoring 84 and 45 runs against Sri Lanka and England, respectively, in the warm-ups.
“I saw him closely in the Emerging Cup and knew what kind of player he is. So it really didn’t surprise me to see him play those shots. Rather what was important for me was that he got some runs under his belt in the practice game as that would make him confident going into the main event,”
Habibul Bashar, Bangladesh selection panel member, told Cricbuzz.
He also said that they should be careful not to put pressure on him by constantly comparing him to the legendary Tamim, who served as one of Bangladesh’s batting’s backbones for a long period.
“I think this comparison is unnecessary between them because they are different individuals and have different skill sets. We should rather focus on giving him (Tanzid) to be his own in the middle as that is the most important thing. If we always keep comparing him with Tamim (Iqbal), it is bound to affect the young mind,”
he said.
If the practice game performance is anything to go by, Bangladesh’s risk of selecting Mehedy as third opener in order to make room for a fifth seam bowler in the side appears to have paid off as well. The right-handed batsman put up half centuries in both innings, with the latter remaining the most significant given that it came up against England, who has a very lethal pace attack.
Mehidy, who was promoted to open the innings recently as well after being tried as an opener for the first time during the 2018 Asia Cup final against India, took most of the opportunity by scoring an unbroken 112 runs against Afghanistan in the just concluded Asia Cup.
His performance against the Afghans led the team management to consider him as backup opener. Many questioned whether Mehedy could handle real pace, but on Monday, the right-handed batsman provided ample proof that he has what it takes to navigate the pace and bounce that was offered by the English pace unit.
“I think it is relieving to see (Mehedy scoring runs against England),”
said Habibul.
“I think it is better not to go into any issue with Miraj (Mehidy) because you might feel that he won’t be able to play against a team with such a pack attack but he will surprise you because he is a fighter and a genuine fighter,”
he said, adding that he has the X factor that is required to score runs.
“I think no one should have any doubt whether he will be able to do it or not. It is because at the international level, at times more than skill and technique, what is required is the fact how good a player you are.
“Certainly skill and technique are required but in cricket, if you want to succeed you need something more than that and Miraj has that,”
he added.
Whether Bangladesh’s new-look top-order is successful or not at the World Cup remains to be seen, but they have shown signs that they are prepared by putting some much-needed runs on the board in the warm-up game.Bangladesh Squad for World Cup 2023: Shakib Al Hasan (c), Litton Kumer Das, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Najmul Hossain Shanto (vc), Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib.