Selectors juggle choices in hunt for stability

The new national selection panel led by former captain Habibul Bashar have been entrusted to build a team for the 2027 ICC ODI World Cup, and one of the first challenges they will have to tackle to make it happen is to create a solid batting order.

To do that, the selectors will have to nurture a batting unit that has all its bases covered, has fixed starters and ideal backups waiting in the dressing room.

But in the Bangladesh batting line-up, especially in the ODI format, stability has been in short supply for a while now.

A big indicator of the lack of solidity is the fact that Bangladesh have used 22 different opening pairs in ODIs in the last five years. And the biggest victim of this constant chopping and changing has been Soumya Sarkar.

Soumya has featured in four separate opening pairs during this period, symptomatic of his own lack of traction in the setup since debuting in 2014.

Despite a match-winning 91 off 86 balls against the West Indies at home in October last year, he did not get a game in the Pakistan series last month.

Saif Hassan and Tanzid Hasan Tamim opened in all three matches. Although Saif did not score many runs, as Bangladesh won the series 2-1 and there is always an aversion to breaking a winning combination, Soumya’s chances in the upcoming series against New Zealand don’t look too great.

Chances have come and gone for the 33-year-old in the national team, akin to a game of musical chairs. There was a time when he was even tried out at No.7.

However, a member of the selection panel feels that Soumya too needs to make his chances count.

“Soumya is such a good player, he should have been the main batter. Considering the calibre he had as a player, the thought of forming the team without him should not even arise. But he couldn't hold onto it,” one of the four members of the selection panel rued.

But playing someone so grossly out of position like Soumya at seven suggests a deeper problem in Bangladesh cricket.

“What were they thinking when playing an opening batter at No.7?… I think it absolutely effects players. If you want to destroy a career, you can easily do it like this. But he [Soumya] should have had the guts to say he won’t be a No. 7,” a team official said on conditions of anonymity.

The Tigers’ dearth of middle-order options is also apparent after veterans Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah stepped aside.

After the struggles of Jaker Ali, Mahidul Islam and Shamim Hossain, as there are no new, exciting batters sitting in the reserves, the management has no choice but to bring back tried and discarded names.

Afif Hossain made a comeback in ODIs in the Pakistan ODIs and ahead of the New Zealand series, Mosaddek Hossain, who has not played for Bangladesh in any format since 2022, was asked to join the national team camp recently on head coach Phil Simmons’ request.

The selectors are also keeping an eye on the 30-year-old.

“I have asked him to get in shape to be able to play well till 2027 and he looks good so far,” a member of the selection panel said.