Prospecting gone awry?
With the Sylhet leg done and dusted, the Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League (BBPL) will enter its final stretch when the tournament resumes in Dhaka tomorrow following a two-day break.
Chattogram Challengers and Rajshahi Royals have already confirmed their playoff berths while Dhaka Platoon, Khulna Tigers and Rangpur Rangers will vie for the final spot when they get back to business at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium tomorrow.
With the country’s top domestic cricket league reaching its climax, now is as good a time as any to reflect on the local players’ performances, especially since chief selector Minhajul Abedin said prior to the competition that they were hoping to unearth a few national team prospects ahead of the T20 World Cup.
One of the most notable aspects of the ongoing BBPL is perhaps the impressive performances of young pacers such as Mehedi Hasan Rana, Hasan Mahmud, Shahidul Islam and Mukidul Islam. However, it should be mentioned here that while the initial sparks were bright, the pacers have since lost their rhythm.
In addition, if the selectors examine how the players who featured in the three-match T20 series in India fared in the ongoing BBPL, then they would not have much to be encouraged about, other than Mushfiqur Rahim’s responsible batting that is.
While true that young Mohammad Naim, Mohammad Mithun, Liton Das and Afif Hossain chipped in with runs, there was nothing extraordinary in their efforts. Meanwhile, Soumya Sarkar has been seeking inspiration from his bowling, saying that ‘I am now enjoying my bowling’.
Although the injured Mosaddek Hossain scores at an average of 31.66, his strike-rate of 106.14 is hardly encouraging. Young leg-spinner Aminul Islam has played in just three matches so far while Mahmudullah Riyad could only feature in the same number of fixtures due to injury. At the bowling end, pacers Al-Amin Hossain, Shafiul Islam and Abu Hider, left-arm spinners Taijul Islam and Arafat Sunny made barely any notable performances.
However, Rajshahi Royals openers Liton Das and Afif Hossain have provided a glimpse of hope. The pair have so far scored 352 runs at average of 50.28 in the seven matches where they opened the innings for Rajshahi. The right-left opening combination have exhibited some good stroke play during the Powerplay overs, which in turn drew attention to them.
“Liton bhai and I have played together for a long time and we opened the innings for Sylhet Sixers in the last BPL as well and that’s why we have a very good understanding,” said Afif, who has scored 306 runs in nine innings at a strike-rate of 136.60.
Afif also informed that he was ready to take on the national team challenges. “I like to bat at the top but I didn’t get the chance in the national side. I will definitely try to play a big knock if I get the chance to open the innings for the national side.”
