Soumya can slot in at 3 or 7

Yesterday was a day of relaxation for the Bangladesh team, having sealed the three-ODI series against Zimbabwe with a game in hand on Wednesday. Apart from Ariful Haque, Abu Hider, Rubel Hossain, Nazmul Hossain and Soumya Sarkar, all the members of the team opted to rest in the team hotel in Chattogram.

There was still some work to be done as reporters went to the Radisson Blu to get skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza's thoughts on the series win and also his plans for the today's third and final ODI.

Mashrafe, who could not sleep properly the previous night as he was suffering from a cold, woke up late and finally came down to the hotel lobby. After his usual light-hearted greetings, the inspirational cricket switched to serious mode and answered questions, talking about probable experiments for the third ODI and providing opportunities to youngsters, his own injury concerns and a few other topics.

ON EXPERIMENTING WITH THE LINEUP FOR THE THIRD ODI AND TEAM COMBINATIONS FOR THE WORLD CUP

Actually, it is not necessary to have a look at all the places. Fazle Rabbi came in because we needed a left-arm spinner as Shakib [Al Hasan] was not there. But with [Mohammad] Saifuddin, we were looking for a pace-bowling all-rounder and he has been the only one in recent times. He has done well in the High Performance squad and also in the Dhaka [Premier] League. Apart from that there is no room for much change and I think there is hardly any chance for there to be changes to the top six if they remain fit till the World Cup. I think even if they are not in form, we should give players who are likely to be in the World Cup squad enough chances so that they can perform and settle in.

ON SOUMYA SARKAR'S ROLE IN THE TEAM

He has played both at number three and seven, and I have no issues if he plays in either position. If Soumya is in form he can even be the backup for the openers and also a backup number seven. The main reason is that he can bowl and he has been bowling well. I think we can get the solution in either position from him.

YOUR THOUGHTS ON TRYING THE FOUR CRICKETERS FROM THE SQUAD WHO ARE YET TO PLAY

It's because of the recent wins that we were unable to have a look at them, but if we had lost the situation would have been different. Among those four, Rubel is already a proven player. Then we have Ariful [Haque], Nazmul [Hossain Shanto] and Fazle, who have already played. It depends on the position of a player and what suits the team combination. We will try to focus on a few specific players till the New Zealand series.

Bangladesh ODI skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza is in a relaxed mood as he holds court with reporters at the team hotel in Chattogram yesterday. PHOTO: STAR

SAIFUDDIN THE BIGGEST GAIN FROM THE SERIES

Saifuddin has done well with both bat and ball, but you also have to mention Imrul as he has been doing well since the Asia Cup. His performance will certainly create healthy competition in the opening slot after Tamim [Iqbal] returns. In England [during the World Cup] we may even play with four seamers and in that case if he [Saifuddin] can bat at number seven the way he did [in the first ODI] it will be a positive thing for us. But still, it will take some time to judge when they play on the big stage as now we are doing well and everyone is confident.

HIS CURRENT INJURY SITUATION

Look, I only play one format, so I try to play any way I can. I don't play Tests or T20Is, so it's hard for me rest and get set again. But there are some problems due to injury; after the series there is a gap of four-five weeks and I need some good treatment. Let's see how it goes after discussion with the coach and selectors.