Amite experiment comes at Sylhet’s expense

• Amite has never opened in first-class cricket, having batted at No. 4 in recent NCL seasons. He is now being assessed as Bangladesh’s potential right-handed Test opener.

• Amite had also been viewed as a long-term middle-order option after Mushfiqur Rahim’s eventual departure.

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• With Amite moving up, Sylhet are left with Asadulla Al Galib, Shykat Ali and Mubin Ahmed Dishan in the middle order.

• Selectors could give Amite five matches of the seven-game NCL season at the top.
   

Amite Hasan’s latest shift in Bangladesh’s Test plans has created another headache for Sylhet. With the new National Cricket League (NCL) season approaching, the 25-year-old is being moved to the top of the order, further stretching an already depleted squad.

Sylhet were among the strongest sides in recent editions of the four-day competition, winning their maiden title in 2024-25 before finishing runners-up the following season. But ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, beginning on October 3, they are struggling to put together even a 15-member squad, and Amite’s promotion has further weakened an already thin batting unit.

The right-hander has never opened in first-class cricket and has batted at No. 4, scoring 440 and 785 runs in the last two NCL seasons. He is now being assessed as a potential Test opener as Bangladesh continue to search for a right-handed option.

For the national team, the experiment is linked to their continuing concerns over the Test opening combination. Tanzid Hasan Tamim struck a hundred in the Darwin Test but remains relatively new to the format, while Shadman Islam, Zakir Hasan and Mahmudul Hasan Joy have struggled for consistency.

The move is particularly striking because Amite had also been viewed as a potential long-term middle-order option after Mushfiqur Rahim’s eventual departure. He made his Test debut in Zimbabwe in June, toured Australia without playing and was then left out of the Afghanistan Test squad, with chief selector Habibul Bashar saying Jaker Ali was the second wicketkeeper option.

The move, therefore, is more than a positional switch. The NCL will serve as an audition, while Sylhet must reorganise around the No. 4 they relied on.

But Amite is only one part of Sylhet’s problems.

Their pace attack has taken the biggest hit. Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Rejaur Rahman Raja are out for the season with injuries, while Khaled Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain are set to miss matches due to national-team commitments. Abu Jayed Rahi will play in the World Championship of Legends in the UAE, while Iqbal Hossain Emon will travel there as a reserve with Bangladesh. That leaves Tofael Ahmed, Mohiuddin Tareq and Anik Deb Barma as inexperienced pace options.

Amite’s move to opener has further weakened the batting. With Amite and Zakir Hasan likely to open, Sylhet will rely on Asadulla Al Galib, Shykat Ali and Mubin Ahmed Dishan in the middle order. Tawfique Khan Tushar has failed the NCL fitness test, while Mushfiqur Rahim and Jaker Ali are expected only in the third round.

“We are struggling at the moment with our middle-order batting and pace bowling. We are in a very weak position right now,” Sylhet head coach Rajin Saleh told The Daily Star.

Naeem said the selectors are prepared to give Amite an extended run at the top. The experiment could account for five of Sylhet’s seven matches.

“He was asked to open purely out of national interest. So if he fails there, no problem. He will move back to his original position,” Naeem told The Daily Star.

He was asked to open purely out of national interest. So if he fails there, no problem. He will move back to his original position.

Naeem Islam

“If you look at our national team, our top four are all left-handed batters. So in domestic cricket, we are currently searching for a right-handed opener.”

“Regarding Sylhet, Sumon [Habibul Bashar] bhai spoke with Rajin bhai today. Most of their team's players have left for the Asian Games and the Test squad against Afghanistan, so they lack middle-order depth. Apart from the first two matches, Amite will probably play the remaining five matches as an opener,” he concluded.

Amite is at the centre of Bangladesh’s latest experiment to find a right-handed Test opener. Whether the trial produces a long-term answer remains to be seen, but Sylhet are already paying the price for it.