ZIM-BD-SL Tri Series 2018: Pre-series Discussion
Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2017 9:24 am
As a Bangladesh fan, I'm quite excited about this series. Interestingly enough, both SL and ZIM have former Bangladesh coaches employed so this will be a very interesting tournament purely from a tactical standpoint.
Based on recent form, all three teams are fairly evenly matched, and any one of them could take the trophy home.
I'm going to write about the BD side and then hopefully we can all discuss the details pertaining to ZIM (and SL). I fully expect BRMT to post a poll at some point.
The biggest news for us is that Sabbir Rahman is almost sure to miss out as he has allegedly assaulted a fan during a first class match last week and on top of that threatened an umpire not to report the alleged assault. To make matters even worse, the fan is reportedly a child.
From a cricketing standpoint, Sabbir as a top order batsman has been underwhelming in all formats, but if he was to be slotted in the middle order as a finisher, he will be a significant loss. Still, I am excited to see who else might be able to put their hand up for the job in his absence. This is the squad I'd like to see, in playing order:
1) Tamim Iqbal...Although he bats a bit slow for a modern day opener, the increased value he puts on his wicket has helped Bangladesh build decent foundations. Of batsmen who have played 32 innings or less since the 2015 World Cup, no one has scored as many runs as Tamim's 1641 (Ajinkya Rahane is more than 400 runs behind). He has been averaging over 56 at a slowish strike rate of 80.
2) Anamul Haque...has been out of the squad for a while, but some are saying he has increased his strike rate which currently stands at an anemic 70 flat. Last time we saw him, his technique was poor, but he plays spin very well and has a tendency to get set and score big on a frequent basis.
3) Mosaddek Hossain...has recovered from an eye infection/injury and was used exclusively as a specialist spinner during the BPL. Which is astonishing given he has a first class batting average over 65 with three double hundreds. I really feel he could be the answer at #3 for our ODI team. Is probably the only BD player with a first class average above 50 and a List A average above 40.
4) Mushfiqur Rahim...this is probably his most effective position.
5) Mahmudullah...before the 2015 WC, he had averaged 32 at a strike rate of 73. Since then he's averaging 39 with a 83 strike rate.
6) Shakib al Hasan
7) Mehidy Hasan Miraz...I think he has the all round ability to really get a long run in the ODI side. The only issue is he doesn't seem like a player who can really hit big at the end of an innings.
8) Mashrafee Mortaza
9) Abu Hider...a left arm medium pacer who can apparently swing the ball. No great pace but he bowled well during the last BPL season.
10) Rubel Hossain
11) Mustafizur Rahman
12) Liton Das
13) Mohammad Saifuddin
14) Soumya Sarkar
15) Nazmul Hossain Shanto
Based on recent form, all three teams are fairly evenly matched, and any one of them could take the trophy home.
I'm going to write about the BD side and then hopefully we can all discuss the details pertaining to ZIM (and SL). I fully expect BRMT to post a poll at some point.
The biggest news for us is that Sabbir Rahman is almost sure to miss out as he has allegedly assaulted a fan during a first class match last week and on top of that threatened an umpire not to report the alleged assault. To make matters even worse, the fan is reportedly a child.
From a cricketing standpoint, Sabbir as a top order batsman has been underwhelming in all formats, but if he was to be slotted in the middle order as a finisher, he will be a significant loss. Still, I am excited to see who else might be able to put their hand up for the job in his absence. This is the squad I'd like to see, in playing order:
1) Tamim Iqbal...Although he bats a bit slow for a modern day opener, the increased value he puts on his wicket has helped Bangladesh build decent foundations. Of batsmen who have played 32 innings or less since the 2015 World Cup, no one has scored as many runs as Tamim's 1641 (Ajinkya Rahane is more than 400 runs behind). He has been averaging over 56 at a slowish strike rate of 80.
2) Anamul Haque...has been out of the squad for a while, but some are saying he has increased his strike rate which currently stands at an anemic 70 flat. Last time we saw him, his technique was poor, but he plays spin very well and has a tendency to get set and score big on a frequent basis.
3) Mosaddek Hossain...has recovered from an eye infection/injury and was used exclusively as a specialist spinner during the BPL. Which is astonishing given he has a first class batting average over 65 with three double hundreds. I really feel he could be the answer at #3 for our ODI team. Is probably the only BD player with a first class average above 50 and a List A average above 40.
4) Mushfiqur Rahim...this is probably his most effective position.
5) Mahmudullah...before the 2015 WC, he had averaged 32 at a strike rate of 73. Since then he's averaging 39 with a 83 strike rate.
6) Shakib al Hasan
7) Mehidy Hasan Miraz...I think he has the all round ability to really get a long run in the ODI side. The only issue is he doesn't seem like a player who can really hit big at the end of an innings.
8) Mashrafee Mortaza
9) Abu Hider...a left arm medium pacer who can apparently swing the ball. No great pace but he bowled well during the last BPL season.
10) Rubel Hossain
11) Mustafizur Rahman
12) Liton Das
13) Mohammad Saifuddin
14) Soumya Sarkar
15) Nazmul Hossain Shanto