Rise of the southpaws

There once was a time when the Bangladesh national team had a shortage of left-handers in the playing eleven but over the past few years, southpaws began to dominate the Tigers' top order.

From Tamim Iqbal to Imrul Kayes, Soumya Sarkar and Shakib Al Hasan , the Bangladesh batting line-up has a firm presence of left-handers for international cricket.

Likewise the Bangladesh Under-19 team, which departed last night for New Zealand to take part in the ICC Under-19 World Cup, also comprises thee left-handers who are vital members of the playing eleven.

The three southpaws -- vice captain Atif Hossain Dhrubo, opener Pinak Ghosh and top order batsman Naim Sheikh -- are the main contributors to the young Tiger's batting strength alongside skipper Saif Hasan, who is the only right-hander in the top order.

The emerging left-handers could possibly try to follow in the footsteps of their seniors though as Shakib, Tamim and Soumya went on to play for the national team after featuring in the Under-19 World Cup. Therefore the young cricketers will most certainly look to make a big impact on the mega event which has produced so many future stars.