Who will be number 2?
The quest for a consistent opening partner for Tamim Iqbal will continue for the Bangladesh team management in the upcoming home series as there has been a lack of consistency from the players tried in that slot for quite some time now.
Tamim has been the only consistent opener in all the three formats for the Tigers over the years, with Imrul Kayes and Soumya Sarkar alternating as his partner, but both southpaws were unable to cement their spot in the opening position despite getting enough opportunities.
It was an open secret that Soumya was one of former coach Chandika Hathurusingha's favourites, with the left-hander receiving extended opportunities during the Sri Lankan's three-year tenure. Interestingly, the upcoming series will also be Hathurusingha's first assignment as Sri Lanka coach, setting up a tantalising battle between his former and current charges.
The 24-year-old batsman from Satkhira has been inconsistent in recent times, often throwing his wicket away after getting set. Soumya scored 15, 33, 9, 9 and 3 in his last five Test innings and was dropped from the second Test against South Africa while he also failed in the ODIs, scoring 28,3,3,0 and 8 in his last five matches.
He was also unable to shine in the recently concluded Bangladesh Premier League fifth edition, scoring just 169 runs in 11 games at an average of 15.36 .Although the left hander might be included in the squad for the tri-series comprising Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka along with the hosts starting from January 15, but Soumya will have to prove his worth to make it to the Test squad for the two-match Test series against the Lankans after the tri-series.
The experienced Imrul scored 189 runs in six Tests with a top score of 36 and an average of 17.18 in 2017 while his performance in ODIs was also disappointing -- 125 runs in five games with a solitary fifty which came in the second ODI against South Africa last October.
However, when asked whether Imrul is thinking about his place in the team and how confident he is about his batting, the left-hander said, "I am actually not thinking of these things and as long as I play I will have to work on my batting because no batsman can reach perfection. So we have to work as long we play," Imrul told reporters after a training session at the Sher-e-Bangla National stadium in Mirpur yesterday.
Both southpaws will face stiff competition as the selectors also cannot overlook the performances of discards like Anamul Haque and Mohammad Mithun as both wicketkeeper-batsmen have been scoring heavily in the domestic circuit.
Anamul is perhaps the strongest contender to make a comeback to the team after the right-hander smashed two double hundreds in the recently concluded National Cricket League and was the highest run-getter of the season, scoring 619 runs in six games at an average of 77.37.
On current form the 25-year-old, who played his last Test in 2014 against the West Indies, he will certainly force the selectors to give him a second thought, at least for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka.
On the other hand, Mithun also played a vital role with the bat to help Rangpur Riders clinch the BPL title.
The right-hander, who played just two ODIs since making his debut in 2014, has also featured in 12 T20Is.
The 27-year-old was among the top five run-getters in the fifth edition of the BPL during which he scored 329 runs in 15 games, including a fifty. Although he batted in the middle order it was learned that the selectors are considering him as one of the contenders in the opening slot for the upcoming home series.
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