‘Important to make Nurul feel he is part of the team’
Nurul needs to play more and perform to make an impact. Definitely, it is a sweet problem that will also put Mushfiqur under some sort of pressure, which is the kind of healthy competition every team wants to have. I will hope this thing will replicate in the ODI format too where specialization is important for the betterment of Bangladesh cricket in the coming days.
As experienced wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim returns for the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand, the Tigers think-tank are facing a rather sweet problem as they wonder how to accommodate another wicketkeeper-batsman, Nurul Hasan Sohan, who impressed many on his comeback to international cricket.
Nurul returned to the shortest format after over four years in Zimbabwe in July this year after Mushfiqur was forced to return home before the T20I series. The 27-year-old grabbed the opportunity with both hands and continued that by performing especially well against Australia in the five-match T20I series earlier this month.
Known as one of the best gloveman in the country, Nurul remained a livewire behind the stumps and was also able to play a few handy knocks late down the order with the bat.
However, Mushfiqur's return means that Nurul will have to expectedly make way for the proven campaigner considering the balance of the playing eleven.
Since Nurul has been enjoying something of a purple patch, it will be important for the team management to make sure the cricketer does not feel excluded. What will be crucial is how the Bangladesh team tackles this sweet dilemma and makes the most of it.
"Mushfiqur has played a lot more than Nurul and I think it is very obvious for him to make way for the senior player when he is available. I think for someone like Nurul it is important to create spots intentionally as they might get demotivated if they are dropped despite impressing with their performances. It is important that these players are not fit in accidentally but that room is made for them in the coming days," prominent coach and mentor to many national cricketers Nazmul Abedeen Fahim told The Daily Star.
There may have been a few question marks over Mushfiqur's keeping over the years and with options available in the form of Nurul and Liton Das, Fahim believes the time has come to create a passage for a smooth handover of the baton in the coming days.
"I think it is important to rotate players as the current pandemic situation makes it difficult for the cricketers to play continuously. It is also important to make Nurul feel that he is part of the team and allow him to believe that he is good enough," he said.
With an average of just over 16 in 17 T20Is, Nurul will have to keep pushing the selectors through performances whenever he gets an opportunity, which will also keep Mushfiqur on his toes as well.
"Nurul needs to play more and perform to make an impact. Definitely, it is a sweet problem that will also put Mushfiqur under some sort of pressure, which is the kind of healthy competition every team wants to have. I will hope this thing will replicate in the ODI format too where specialization is important for the betterment of Bangladesh cricket in the coming days," added Fahim.
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