Shamit impressed with Bangladesh midfield

Canada-based midfielder Shamit Shome is looking forward to adding more quality to an already formidable midfield when Bangladesh host Singapore in their second Asian Cup Qualifiers fixture in Dhaka on June 10.

The Cavalry FC midfielder came to Bangladesh on Wednesday and watched the friendly against Bhutan from the stands later in the day, a match the men in red and green won 2-0. Both goals in that game came from midfielders – the first one a towering header by Hamza Choudhury and the second one a piledriver from Sohel Rana.

Shamit, who just recently switched his allegiance to Bangladesh after having represented Canada in a couple of friendly matches a few years ago, said he was impressed with Bangladesh's midfield.

"I really liked our midfield. Hamza, Sohel bhai, and Jamal bhai -- all played brilliantly. We created chances, and our defence didn't allow Bhutan any opportunities," the 27-year-old told reporters prior to his first training session with the rest of the squad at the National Stadium in Dhaka in the afternoon.

The 27-year-old felt, like most people, that Bangladesh had a fairly comfortable victory against Bhutan, but they could have done better, given the massive home support and the team's overall record against the Himalayan nation.

"Bangladesh played really well in the Bhutan match. This time, we want to do even better."

Hamza, Fahamedul, Jamal and the rest in jolly mood. Photo: BFF

Shamit, who usually plays as an attacking midfielder, said he is still taking in the instructions from coach Javier Cabrera, and that he is looking forward to get on the pitch, come June 10.

"I'm really eager to play," he said. "I'm trying to understand how I can best help the team. The coach is giving us a lot of information, and I'm doing my best to take it all in."

While Bangladesh has issues in defence and in scoring goals, the addition of Hamza and Shamit as well as Fahamedul Islam, who was impressive on his debut against Bhutan, will make coach Cabrera's job of picking the right combination a little bit harder.

The coach himself confessed that with so many talented players in the midfield, it will be a hard job for him to pick a team, but he was embracing the 'great problem'.  

"It's actually a great problem to have. Now there's fantastic competition within the team. It's good for the team," the Spaniard opined.