Which way will they rotate?
With Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan insisting on a rotation policy to inject fresh blood into the national side, the selectors are keeping a close eye on the High Performance (HP) squad to identify promising youngsters for the upcoming home series.
"We have to provide them [youngsters] proper chances. And the team might rest some players. But that does not mean we are dropping them permanently. We have discussed a lot about a rotation policy with these coaches [Bangladesh's new coaching staff headed by Russell Domingo]. We will work on a rotation policy and introduce some new faces. We had decided to introduce them in Tests but now we prefer T20s to blood new players. So I hope we will see new players very soon," Nazmul told reporters on August 17.
'New' seems to be the operative word here.
Youngsters like Afif Hossain, Yeasir Ali and Nazmul Hossain Shanto are some of the more prominent youngsters, but the presence of experienced campaigners like Forhad Reza and Jahurul Islam in Bangladesh's 35-member preliminary squad begs the question of the kind of rotation the selectors will opt for.
Forhad made his international debut in 2006 alongside Shakib Al Hasan, but played his last T20I in 2014. The all-rounder has been a regular performer in the domestic circuit, including notable performances in the last Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), which has kept him around national focus.
The 33-year-old was picked for the tri-nation ODI series in Ireland ahead of the World Cup earlier this year and he was also included as a replacement for injured ODI skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza for the Sri Lanka tour last month.
However, Forhad could not make it into the playing eleven on either tour.
"I have been playing cricket since being dropped in 2014. I have been performing in the domestic league, BPL and everywhere. As you know, top foreign players always play in the BPL. So how can you judge me if you don't give me the chance to play in the national team? You never know, something good can happen. In the last five years, I didn't get any chance. So how can you say that I can't do well? I didn't get any chances, so how can I prove myself?" Forhad asked.
Much like Forhad, Jahurul has also been a consistent domestic performer since playing his last international game six years ago and the top-order batsman is also eyeing a new beginning in the international circuit.
It can be said that players like Forhad and Jahurul were not given the number of opportunities enjoyed by the likes of Soumya Sarkar and Liton Das, who have been labelled future prospects despite prolonged lean patches.
Having repeatedly picked the likes of Forhad in the squad, the time -- at the beginning of a new World Cup cycle -- seems ripe to either see what fringe experienced players can do or forge ahead with a youth policy.
With rotation now the buzz word, it remains to be seen how faithfully the selectors stick to the policy and whether the view they take is a long-term or short-term one.
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