Bangladesh are going for the Asia Cup T20 with plenty of injury problems. This forced them to take only two openers in the squad.
Also, it gave them the scope to try something new. Some rumours were circulated that one of Shakib, Mushfiq, Mahedi or Miraz could open.
However, one batting change that BCB director Khaled Mahmud Shujon confirmed is that Afif will bat at No. 4. Also, Afif will have a fixed position, and the batting line-up will revolve around him.
It is a good sign that the team management is giving the youngster a bigger role. But fixing his batting position is where the problem lies.
T20 is the shortest version of the game. The game ends in a flash compared to other formats. So, the batting line-up here should be not position-based but situation-based.
Consider the case of Afif Hossain. Afif is a player who would like to settle but get in the game quickly. He can score rapidly as well. But he is not a big hitter.
Now his position is set at No. 4. Suppose the 2nd wicket falls after the 16th over. It would be best to have someone who can strike from the 1st ball, a pinch hitter. Will it be of any help bringing Afif then, given his attributes?
Or let’s think for a moment that the 2nd wicket falls somewhere between the 9th or 10th over. The field is wide-spread then, and the overs finish quickly.
For this situation, you need batters who can rotate strikes for fun and keep a run rate above 6. Is Afif the best-suited batter in this scenario? Probably not.
Besides, considering Afif is our best batter in T20s, why he shouldn’t get more time on the pitch? Why shouldn’t he be utilised in the powerplay?
You can give Afif the role of batting through the innings in a T20 manner. He can be good at it.
In T20 cricket, the only players whose positions can be fixed are the openers. So if you want to fix Afif’s position, why not open the innings with him? It can be a good idea given the crisis of openers in the team.
There’s nothing wrong with building a team around him and giving him a fixed role. But batting him at No. 4 makes his role shaky. Fixing a batting position is a backdated idea, and Bangladesh should get out of it.
