Youngsters need belief and intent

With two of the most experienced Bangladesh players Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal absent due to injury, the upcoming Zimbabwe series at home will be a platform for youngsters to step up and take responsibility.

There has been a lot of talk about the young players not yet matching the standards set by Shakib, Tamim, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad and Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and the question often arises about whether they can fill the vacuum when these stalwarts eventually leave.

However there is no shortage of talent in the Tigers' ranks with the likes of Liton Das, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman and Mohammad Mithun proving their worth in international cricket, but they  will now have to take a leadership role for the ODI series starting next Sunday.

At the same time it will be a huge opportunity for the uncapped Fazle Mahmud Rabbi, the 30-year-old who was rewarded for his consistent performances in domestic circuit, and rookie opener Nazmul Hossain Shanto, who made his ODI debut in the Asia Cup but failed to utilise the opportunity.

According to Nazmul Abedeen -- the mentor of Shakib, Tamim and Mushfiqur -- it's important for the likes of Liton, Mithun and Mustafizur to believe in their games.

"The transition period of Shakib, Tamim and others were different from the current set of players. The current players are facing big challenges like having to become champions in the Asia Cup -- that was not the case previously. Suppose if Shakib does not play three games, he will return and still be comfortable, but if Liton does not play three games he will be confused as everyone will start talking about his negatives. So those who are mature know how to handle such pressure. It's our environment which does not allow them to mature," Nazmul told The Daily Star.

There is also the question on how many of the new set of players were able to push the likes of Shakib, Tamim and Mushfiqur in the side by their consistent performances despite having most of the necessary attributes to succeed.

"We might get one or two international quality players once a year, so in five years we might replace four to five players who will be international standard. We can see a glimpse of that in Miraz and Mustafizur. At the moment we don't have 11 international quality players as a majority of the youngsters had the goal of becoming a national player rather an international player," he added.

On the other hand another mentor of Shakib and Tamim, Mohammad Salahuddin, said that it's the players' responsibility to develop their skills as per requirements.

"If someone starts his international career well that means he has the potential to play in international cricket. After a few days the opponents will work on his weaknesses and strengths and the player himself has to work on those specific areas. Even Tamim and Mushfiqur had a low average when they started their international careers but they worked particularly on their weakness. For example Tamim did not play well on the leg side but he worked for the next two years on that area and then worked against the spinners. They worked on their games and gradually came to this stage," Salahuddin said.