Anamul paves his way
Anamul Haque is not necessarily the greatest of players to watch. He often lacks the finesse shown by his opening partner Tamim Iqbal, neither does he seem as compact as Mushfiqur Rahim.
And yet, despite his apparent flaws, he has managed to hold on to a consistent rhythm. Such has been the extent of his consistency that he has ended up scoring the highest number of runs by a Bangladeshi player after 25 one-day matches.
His resilient 95 yesterday took his overall tally to 879 runs in 25 matches. What makes Anamul's consistency more special is his batting position. The Tigers have been struggling to find a worthwhile opener to partner Tamim Iqbal for a while now and, at the moment, Anamul seems to be filling that gap well in this format.
His grittiness to stay alive at the crease has been the most attractive aspect of his batting. There are times when he seems clueless, with the deliveries flying past his outside edge; but when he does manage to stick it out, he ensures runs on the board. The fact that all his six 50-plus scores are above 75 reflect his hunger. And that's one reason why he was especially disappointed yesterday.
“I deserved a century today. When a batsman gets out in the 90s, it's not a good feeling. The effect is a bit more because I had never been out in the 90s before,” said Anamul at the post-match press conference yesterday.
On the flipside, there have been times when Anamul has been criticised for not dealing in singles or being more focused on completing his century; and these are aspects that he will no doubt be looking to improve on. However, the fact that he has managed to hold one end for long periods is something not many Bangladeshi openers have done.
“I am still learning how to play bigger innings, how to rotate the strike. Every batsman has a few problems and so do I. I am learning to fix those. I am talking to my coaches. I am only 22, hopefully I can rectify these mistakes before I turn 23,” admitted Anamul.
Prior to the start of the second Test in Khulna, when Anamul was drafted in the squad midway through the series, his technique and style of play were questioned.
His reply was a confident one: "There have been many batsmen in the world who have scored despite not having a conventional technique. I am still working on mine."
So far, Anamul's approach seems to be working and for the sake of the Tigers, one would hope that he can continue to grit it out.
Comments