‘Shakib wants to bat at number three’
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan reiterated that there is going to be little to no surprise when Bangladesh form their team for the upcoming World Cup. He spoke of Taskin Ahmed and Mosaddek Hossain as candidates who could get into the side while also informing that Test and T20I captain Shakib Al Hasan wants to bat at number three in ODIs.
"If Tamim [Iqbal] and Liton [Das] opens, there is a good chance for Shakib to come in at three," the president said. "He wants to bat at that position," he added.
Shakib has been hugely successful in recent times when he has come in to bat at number three. Most often, Tamim provided structure to the innings in home tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe while playing magnificent knocks in away series against West Indies. In most of those games, Bangladesh's star duo combined well with Shakib taking some pressure off Tamim in crucial stages.
The BCB president also spoke of depth at number seven and opined that three pacers will be a must in England. "If you look at the number seven, we have [Mohammad] Saifuddin, [Mehedi Hasan] Miraz and Sabbir [Rahman]. Soumya could bat lower down the order as well. Mushfiqur [Rahim] will bat at four. Mithun or someone else like him at five and Riyad at six. Soumya might even play at seven," he opined on the options if Shakib always bats at three since Soumya too has shown mettle when playing at three recently.
"Sabbir and Saifuddin are there too [for number seven]. We have to have three pacers. Mustafizur [Rahman] and Mashrafe [Bin Mortaza] are confirmed and then Rubel [Hossain] and Taskin are there.
"If we play a spinner, Miraz could play. So apart from these, Mosaddek could be an option for number seven and eight. I don't see any more places."
There is little opportunity that a new face will be seen in the World Cup. "I don't think there is any means for surprise here. We will form a 15-member squad."
Like captain Mashrafe, he too insisted that the gap between domestic and international stage is too big. "The difference in levels is pretty big even if you play well in domestic cricket. If the tournament was in Asia, maybe it could be different. So no matter how one plays here, there is little chance that they will all of a sudden make the World Cup squad."
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