Following an awful performance in ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021, the Bangladesh team will play some Twenty20 International (T20I) series that would help the cricketers to get prepared for the upcoming 2022 edition of the tournament.
The Bangladesh squad for the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan was announced on February 21. While the inclusion of Munim Shahriar was being praised, some of the names in the squad raised questions.
Mohammad Naim Sheikh has been a regular name in the T20 squad of Bangladesh for a while now. Though it was thought that he would be dropped after a disastrous BPL season, the selectors picked him based on his T20I average and the number of runs he scored.
Although he has been prone to score more runs opening the innings compared to the other openers, his low strike rate of 105.03 has proven to be a burden for the team.
In BPL 2022, he scored just 50 runs in 7 innings, with an average of 8.33 and a strike rate of 65.78. The opening batter had to bat in the middle order at times as his approach was 'slower' than the others, and he could manage to hit only 3 boundaries in the whole season.
If Mahmudullah Riyad prefers Naim at 7 in a franchise league team and at the opening spot at the national team, being a captain of both Minister Dhaka and Bangladesh, it would be a bizarre scenario.
On the other hand, Liton Das was dropped from the T20I squad earlier in the series against Pakistan at home last year. In the BPL, he had to perform to make a comeback.
In 9 matches, he scored 209 runs with an average of 23.22 and a decent strike rate of 135.71.
The right-hand opening batter has been in top form in the two other formats, and he could have been entitled with a role similar to Joe Root in the England team i.e. playing a key role in the two other formats leaving the shortest one.
Indeed, Liton Das hasn’t quite performed up to the mark in T20Is, and his regular inclusion in the T20 XI can act as a burden for him, which may affect his form in the longer formats.
Mahmudullah Riyad, the captain himself is another name who has been criticised for his on-field decisions in the recent past. His over-reliance on the left and right-hand orthodox spinners against the right and left-handed batters respectively has not been effective.
On the other hand, his intent as a finisher has also been questionable. In both the recent internationals and T20 league matches, he has batted with a strike around 117-120 coming at number 6.
On the other hand, Shakib Al Hasan was one of the best captains of the BPL 2022, performing regularly with both the bat and the ball. His scintillating record of five consecutive Player of the Match awards came in this year's BPL, and he seemed very involved with his players, set the field well and made effective bowling changes when needed; even used the off-spin of Nazmul Hossain Shanto at times.
While youth energy is being introduced and some good inclusions are made in the T20 squad of Bangladesh, some problems must be solved if they don't want a 'deja-vu' of T20 World Cup 2021 in Australia.
Unlike last time, the leadership has to be top-notch, the powerplays need to be utilised, the innings should be finished well, and the bowlers must be effective bowling the death overs.
