The upcoming T20 World Cup squad will be submitted to the ICC on May 1. In the meantime, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has finalized most of who will and will not be in the team. It is already known who is staying and who is not staying. Among them, two names are quite discussed. They are – national team star all-rounder Mehdi Hasan Miraj and U-19 World Cup winning team member Shamim Hasan Patwari. The possibility of not having two is, however, for two different reasons. Sheikh Mehdi can be more effective in the World Cup squad than Mirage. The all-rounder’s inclusion in the squad is now pretty much assured. On the other hand, Shamim has been excluded from the discussion due to extreme decline in fitness. This young cricketer got a red mark in the latest national team fitness test.
The 15-member team under the leadership of Nazmul Hossain Shanto may be announced at the beginning of next month. In this regard, the chief selector told the media, ‘We will try to take maximum advantage. Obligation to submit by 1. There will be many games in between, injuries may occur. There will be groups nearby. We will try to provide it. We will try to take any player whenever possible. Unofficially maybe we will send. There will be an opportunity to make official changes later.’
Young opener Tanjid Hasan Tamim is most certain to be in the team led by Shanta. All-rounder Mohammad Saifuddin is likely to return to the team. The pace bowling all-rounder will, however, be put to the ultimate test in the Zimbabwe series. If he survives there, his playing in the World Cup will be almost guaranteed. Among the senior cricketers, Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah Riyad are also confirmed. And instead of Mirage, Sheikh Mehdi is being put forward mainly considering effective performance. A source said ‘Sheikh Mehdi is capable of bowling new balls. Even the old ball is effective in the middle over. Apart from this, the batting is also fine. That’s why I’m keeping him ahead of Mirage. But that’s not to say that Mirage won’t be effective. He is also a very experienced good batsman. There is only a little thought about him in bowling.’ However, Chief Selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu said that in case of any injury or any other problem, they are keeping Miraj ready so that he can be brought into the team as a backup.
On the other hand, the young batsman Shamim Patwari could not pass the fitness test of the national team on April 20. He took 7 minutes to run four laps on the track at Bangabandhu Stadium. Which is more than all. Whereas Nahid Rana and Tanjim Shakib left everyone behind with a time of 5 minutes and 48 minutes. On the other hand, BCB has already announced a preliminary squad of 17 members for the tour of Zimbabwe. The five-match T20 series against Zimbabwe will start from May 3. This camp will run from 26th to 28th April. Saifuddin returned to the national team camp after a long time. There is Parvez Hossain Imon who is performing well in DPL. However, Shakib Al Hasan and Mostafizur Rahman were not kept in the camp as they were outside the country. Mohammad Naeem, Enamul Haque, Taijul Islam who were in the team of the last Sri Lanka series did not get a place in this camp. Pacer Saifuddin, back in camp, has one more point to prove against Zimbabwe. In this regard, the chief selector said, ‘Saifuddin is definitely an emerging player. If not for the injury, he could have played more matches. He is ahead in terms of batting. He also has a rival in terms of bowling. The Zimbabwe series is a good chance for him to come back to form.’ On the other hand, in the spin department of the World Cup team, Shakib, Mehdi and young leggie Rishad will be the trust of the team. As a surprise, there is another young Zaker Ali Anik. Apart from this, there is a great possibility of having Tanjid Shakib in addition to Taskin Ahmed, Shariful Islam, Mostafiz among the pacers.
Tags: World Cup team Bangladesh
