Tough task for old faces
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced a 29-member preliminary squad for the home series against Australia in August-September and the tour of South Africa in September-October. The national selectors, led by Minhajul Abedin, did not include any fresh faces to the long list; instead recalling old faces like Nasir Hossain, Anamul Haque, Liton Das and Al-Amin Hossain to take part in the conditioning camp that will begin from July 10 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.
The pertinent question surrounding the preliminary squad is whether there is any chance of old faces returning to the squad when the selectors trim down the number for the final squad for the two series.
There have been questions about the form of opener Soumya Sarker, the number three batting position, the logic of Mushfiqur Rahim keeping in Tests, carrying pacer Shafiul Islam apparently for no reason and the omission of all-rounder Nasir Hossain, who is in form. But it is believed that the current team is more or less a settled one and it will not be an easy task for anyone to force their way in.
In reality Anamul, who played his last international match in November 2015, will need to beat Imrul Kayes and Soumya if he wants to get back his place. Nasir, who played the tri-series in Ireland, will need to oust Mosaddek Hossain, who has been showing some character, or Sabbir Rahman. Liton, the wicketkeeper-batsman and the highest run-getter in the recently concluded Dhaka Premier League, will have to wait to see whether Mushfiqur, who has recently improved his keeping, leaves his additional job behind the stumps. For pacer Al-Amin Hossain, who last played an international match during the T20 World Cup in March 2016, the job is also a tough one.
“Nobody's place is permanent. If someone fails consistently definitely he will be replaced by another player as there are a number of performers outside the national team. But in reality, at this moment it's very tough,” said selector Habibul Bashar yesterday.
“Yes, there are some questions about a few places in the team but I think this team has been doing well and there is hardly any scope to make big changes in the team now. One will need to be outstanding in his performance to force the selectors' hands. The main thing is one should always be ready because you never know when the chance comes your way,” he added.
It was a bit surprising that pacer Abu Hider, who was the highest wicket-taker in the recently concluded Dhaka Premier League in unfriendly conditions for seamers, didn't get a place in the long list.
“Rony [Abu Hider] did really well in the league but the problem was that we could not accommodate him in the preliminary squad but gave him a place in the High Performance team for the Australia tour. We will definitely keep our eyes on this High Performance trip and I think it will be a great opportunity for players like Anamul and Rony to grab the spotlight,” said Bashar.
“We also called Tanbir Hayder because we don't want to dismiss someone only after one series. And you know we are looking for a good leg-spinner and a pace-bowling all-rounder,” he added, referring to the inclusion of Hayder, who played in the last New Zealand tour, and Mohammad Saifuddin. Meanwhile, Australia will arrive in Dhaka on August 18 to play two Tests at Mirpur and Chittagong against the Tigers while the Tigers will leave for South Africa in the last week of September to play two Tests, three ODIs and two T20is.
PRELIMINARY SQUAD
Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Sabbir Rahman, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Mahmudullah Riyad, Liton Das, Mominul Haque, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Subhasish Roy, Kamrul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Sanjamul Islam, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin, Anamul Haque, Abul Hasan, Al Amin Hossain, Nasir Hossain, Muktar Ali, Tanbir Hayder, Saqlain Sajib, Shafiul Islam.
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