As much as the opening position is most satisfying, the middle-order is the most troublesome for the Bangladesh think-tank ahead of the World Cup. It might not be exposed as much in the last two series due to the winning streak, but definitely it's an area coach Jamie Siddons must focus on with the showcase event is knocking at the door. Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes have given some sort of solidity to the opening slot through consistent performances and that's why there is hardly any question about who will open the innings in the World Cup. But everybody is curious to know who will play in the middle-order and to some extent there is also the healthy debate on the batting order also. The debate among the cricket fans and as well as the pundits is also whether the team think-tank will give in-form Shahriar Nafees a chance to play as a middle-order batsman. Will consistently inconsistent Mohammad Ashraful be considered as a big occasion player? Will Mushfiqur Rahim again get a promotion?
It's some headache indeed!
Nothing could however be better if you have more options in your hand. It would be interesting to see whether the team management goes for the incumbents Junaed Siddiqui and Rokibul Hasan. It's no secret that Siddons has faith in this pair. And now everybody will be looking forward to see whether the think-tank change their
plans for the mega event.
Except for captain Shakib Al Hasan, the rest of the middle-order is inconsistent but it is common knowledge that only a solid middle-order can change the game.
Generally our spin bowling has played a pivotal role in our success but it will not always happen. We must have a good batting performance if we want to impress the cricket fraternity in the World Cup, especially when we are going to play in the subcontinent conditions. We have to put enough runs on the board or chase a challenging target if we want to win matches against India, England and South Africa.
The middle-order batsmen should be able to
prolong their innings at times and sometimes score quickly, often attempting to hit for clearing the fences, especially when Twenty20 cricket has changed the approach of the one-day game also. It is actually a question of how much one could adjust with the match situations.
So there is an obvious question whether Junaed and Rokibul have got the ability to make it happen if they are required to accelerate the innings. Many believe that Junaed can hit the pace bowler from the beginning of his innings though he could hardly prove himself so far, but despite his poor form in domestic cricket he will be one of the contenders for the No 3 spot as he has two fifties under his belt in the last international series against Zimbabwe. Rokibul has hardly been seen hitting the ball hard in international cricket although it is believed that he has enough shots in his arsenal.
Otherwise, the two big names, Nafees and Ashraful, came up for discussion for the spot and many even believe that wicketkeeperbatsman Mushfiqur must play at No 4 as he has been going through an impressive form and successfully played in this position for Bangladesh Biman in the Premier League.
“In my combination, Nafees will play at No 3 because he is the in-form batsman and he has got the ability to build up an innings and play shots all around. There is no question about
opening and Shakib's but we have to think twice for the other positions in the middleorder," said former captain and former chief selector FaruqueAhmed.
“You can think match-by-match and can change the batting order accordingly. I know Ashraful is inconsistent but World Cup is an event where you must take a chance for good results. Rokibul is not in my plan but if you want to play him then you must have a special plan for him. If Rokibul gets out after playing 25-26 balls then he will put the team under pressure,” he added.
The statistics of the last year shows that how inconsistent the middle-order is as many have been tried in the 30 ODIs the Tigers played in 2010. Aftab Ahmed, Jahurul Islam and Ashraful played a handful of matches while Mushfiqur fully capitalised whenever he got the chance to bat at No 4 but surprisingly, he was not continued for the whole year.
"You must have a player in the middle-order who can finish the game and in this context, Mushfiqur is a good option for you as a No 4 batsman because he has good technique and the ability to hit the ball hard," said Faruque.
One thing is clear that the think-tank could sometimes take out-of-the-box decisions if they want to see the team reach 250-plus runs or chase something in that region.