Zimbabwe Tri Series 2012 : Bangladesh Team Announced

[22Yards]

The squad is surprising and when I say surprising I mean in a good way. The inclusion of Junaid over Jahirul is an indication that the selectors finally are able to differentiate the t20 format from ODIs. Yes there is Ashraful but him alone failing (continuously) will not have significant impact given the limited overs format.His over-the-top innovations sometimes do bring desired results. Zia is powerful hitter. Whether he comes down at 7 or open the innings, he will deliver. Only if now Mahmudullah can somehow be replaced with Shabbir, I think we could make our best T20 team from this squad (given we have rubel also as an option).

My XI
Tamim
Junaid
Anamul
Ashraful
Shakib
Mushfiq
Nasir
Zia
Mashrafe
Razzaq/Sunny
Nazmul/Sunny/Abul.

[TimAus]

Not much love for Mahmudullah here. I don't think that's fair. He's a very good player with a cool head. Something that Bangladesh lack. He got Bangladesh home in the Sri Lanka game in the Asia cup and got them within 2 of winning the whole thing. Yet you blame him not the idiots slogging across the line when 1s and 2s were needed to win. He is also underused as a bowler and in T20 will be good for a few overs each match, especially in sub-continent conditions in the World Cup.

[Jadukor]

90% happy with the selection although I don't understand why go back to Farhad Reza again?.. this guy's bowling could cost us the match.
It would have been a perfect squad if we had selected a third specialist pacer (someone like Kamrul Islam Rabbi) for Farhad Reza and Mominul for Mahmudullah (we need boundaries more than a cool head at his position)

[shakibrulz]

Originally Posted by mufi_02
Good squad but bowling looks weak. Who will be the 5th bowler? In T20 you need 1-2 extra bowlers, just in case one of the regulars get smacked.

Not many good bowlers in the squad anyways, who can stem the flow of runs in that case. Shak, Mash, Nazmul, Sunny and 4 between Mahmudullah, Nasir and Ziaur. Far from impressed by Abul's T20 performance (might be good prospect, but from what I saw), then there's Reza, who isn't terrible and is experienced, he could maybe replace Anamul probably.

Originally Posted by Equinox
I have to disagree with this XI

In T20s, you have to give your best batsmen the chance to face as many deliveries as possible.

My XI:
Tamim
Zunaed
Ash
Shakib
Mushfiq+*
Riyad
Nasir
Ziaur
Mashrafe
Razzak
Nazmul

This is the team I'd start off with and then give guys like Anamul a shot after the first couple of games and also experiment with the line-up for example by opening with Ziaur.

Both Zunaed and Ash? It's unnecessary IMO. And Ziaur can probably open as a pinch hitter. Although fair enough about the batting order, that's better than mine.

[shakibrulz]

Also what has Zunaed done recently to warrant a call? I'd have preferred Milon or Sabbir myself as backups, couple of game changing pinch hitters. Why would you go for people like Nayeem and Kayes as back ups?

[MohammedC]

Originally Posted by shakibrulz
Also what has Zunaed done recently to warrant a call? I'd have preferred Milon or Sabbir myself as backups, couple of game changing pinch hitters. Why would you go for people like Nayeem and Kayes as back ups?

BPLT-20 Highest run scorer (Bangladeshi Players)


Shakib:280 @ avg 40 sr 140
Ashraful:258 @ avg 28.67 sr 112.66
Junaid Siddiqui: 238 @ avg 26.44 sr 147.83
Mushfiq Rahim: 234 @ avg 39 sr 125.81
Nasir Hossain: 182 @ avg 30.33 sr 119.74
Anamul Haq : 176 @ avg 25.14 sr 107.32

http://digicricket.marssil.com/match...ent.aspx?id=15

[Tiger444]

Originally Posted by TimAus
Not much love for Mahmudullah here. I don't think that's fair. He's a very good player with a cool head. Something that Bangladesh lack. He got Bangladesh home in the Sri Lanka game in the Asia cup and got them within 2 of winning the whole thing. Yet you blame him not the idiots slogging across the line when 1s and 2s were needed to win. He is also underused as a bowler and in T20 will be good for a few overs each match, especially in sub-continent conditions in the World Cup.

Although I'm not the biggest fan of having Mahmudullah for T20's, he did so pretty well in the BPL, and did better than the other middle order batsmen. Guys like Alok, Naeem, Shuvagata, and Milon didn't do as well as Mahmudullah. The only guy you could make a case for is Mominul but that's really it.

[Tiger444]

Originally Posted by Razi
Guys for once, at least give some credits where it's due. This is an excellent selection IMO based on the format and the conditions. Yeah I know we are really eager to see how some of the exciting young talents perform at the highest stage but you can't have so many new faces in the same squad. All the dead-weights from the Asia Cup were justifiably dropped except Imrul who could consider himself unlucky due to the format and Zunaed's form. Some of you are calling for Mominul and Arafat Sunny's inclusion but due to their playing role/position it was not possible to select them. Our middle-order is packed with all-rounders who are all in decent form, so it would have been very hard for Mominul to get into the XI being a specialist batsman. With regard to Arafat Sunny, he is one of those many unfortunate SLAs who despite performing very well doesn't get the nod because of our already heavily SLA dominant bowling attack.

Agreed. I thought the most important thing was to get rid of dead weights like Nazim and Shahadat from the Asia Cup. Then also it was important to get Imrul and Jahurul out of the T20 squad because they are not T20 batsmen and put Junaid and Anamul who are better T20 batsmen. I thought Ash shouldn't have been there honestly but can't deny the fact that he was 1 of our best batsmen in the BPL. He's also been 1 of our best T20 batsman. So I don't mind him being there. He should still be a big NO for ODIs and Tests. Also there will always be 1 or 2 players that are in which we disagree upon but overall the selectors did a good job selecting the squad.

[hoodlum]

Tamim
Zia
Zunaed
Shakib
Mushfiq
Anamul
Nasir
Riyad
Mashrafe
Sunny
Abul

[Tiger444]

Season that had it all for Ziaur

By Mohammad Isam

It was the Chittagong Kings' fourth game in the Bangladesh Premier League and in their pursuit of a 153-run chase, they lost the form opener Nasir Jamshed in the fifth over. The commentators had a shockingly tough time pronouncing the next man's name as he walked in steadily from the dugout.

Ziaur Rahman was also making his fourth appearance in the Twenty20 competition but it was only his second opportunity with the bat. No sooner had he smashed four sixes in a typically quickfire 32-ball 48, there were murmurs in the press box of lost opportunities and the need for a big-hitter in the Bangladesh Twenty20 team, a notion that has hardly been fulfilled since 2006.

Players have had to bat extra aggressively to become Twenty20 players both internationally and domestically, and as a result it either propelled someone like Junaed Siddique or slowed down some of their progress. For the last six years, Ziaur has been touted as a Twenty20 specialist but either he had mediocre seasons or he was ignored after showing promise. His batting has been the main attraction (a skill he had to develop after his fast bowling career was jeopardised by an ankle injury early on).

"I like to hit the ball, I love to bat aggressively so that's why I think I am termed as a Twenty20 player, but I have played first-class cricket and I always play one-day matches in the Premier League so I can play in all the formats," Ziaur told The Daily Star Sport yesterday.

Ziaur walked off unbeaten with Kings skipper Mahmudullah Riyad as they won quite comfortably, but it was one of those remarkable days for the all-rounder during the 2011-12 season that ultimately put him in the national squad for the upcoming Zimbabwe tour. But it hasn't made him all that happy because according to Ziaur, it is only the second part of the deal; the next, performance, is up to him.

"This is the easy part -- getting the opportunity to be in the squad -- but it will all go down the drain if I don't perform for the national team whenever I get an opportunity," he said. "Everyone performs in the national team, so I have to do that too. I am happy to get the chance, but I have to perform and unless I can do that, I shouldn't be too pleased."

Most of the other remarkable days came while he played for Old DOHS (now called Prime Bank Cricket Club) in the Dhaka Premier League. He was given the task to open the batting and after a game or two of getting used to, he started making runs on important occasions; the biggest coming against defending champions Abahani when he made 91 in an atypical innings (despite two-third of the runs coming in boundaries). He batted for more than two hours and put DOHS in a prime position to launch into a big score (which they did and beat Abahani). "[Khaled Mahmud] Sujon bhai gave me the chance, the belief and the freedom to bat up the order for Prime Bank. He told me to play my game at the top of the order and that really was helpful," he said.

It was a busy season for Ziaur, as he also played regularly for Khulna in the National Cricket League but during the first-class competition, he was met with a tragedy. His first child, a baby girl, died 40 hours after being born. He took the loss in his stride and continued to play the game, his bread-winner.

According to those he plays with, his loss has made him mellower but Ziaur remains the likable teammate that everyone knew. But his insistence that it wasn't too important at just getting the opportunity was slightly surprising. Was he too harsh on himself?

"I'm not too hard on myself (laughs). But I believe in performance and since I did well this season, I think that I should perform in the national team.

"I never thought of getting a place in the side when the season started, I focused more on the performance," said Ziaur.

Some of these picks by the selectors might be questioned as having belated wisdom because a few Twenty20 specialists should have been prepared by now, but Ziaur's call-up should be encouraging news for the rest of the cricketers in the country.

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesig...php?nid=236627

[Tiger444]

I liked the attitude of Ziaur. He's not overly excited about just getting in to the squad. He's looking to perform. If he can perform well, he could be a very handy player for us since he's so versatile. Also really like his desire to play all forms of the game rather then just T20's. I was very impressed with his batting ability in the BPL. Best of luck to him

[Shayaan]

An arm made stronger by tragedy
Atif Azam

Personal grief and injuries made all-rounder Ziaur Rahman a stronger person as he forced his way back into the Bangladesh national cricket team after five years in the oblivion.
Zia was in the Bangladesh squad for the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in 2007 and though he did not play any match in the tournament in South Africa, he had been on the selection radar for quite some time.
But a dreadful ankle injury he sustained in 2009 while playing for Bangladesh Cricket Board X1 in Maharashtra had almost ruined his career.
After the injury it was hard for the bowler to have a proper landing and during that time it seemed all but over for the tall man who came from the remote area of Bedboniya village in Khulna.
It took nearly two years for the injury to be healed completely and just when he was preparing to return to serious cricket he suffered a personal tragedy, which again hit him very hard.
His wife Sanjida Akter gave birth to a premature baby, who survived barely 40 hours, a tragedy that left him completely devastated. By the time he overcame the shock, Zia found himself not even good enough to represent his Khulna Divisional side in the National Cricket League.
When he was expecting the Khulna officials to stand by his side, Zia saw they dropped him which came as a humiliation to the burly all-rounder, known for his big-hitting ability and for gentle medium pace.
Zia resurrected his career through Prime Bank Cricket Club (formerly Old DOHS) in this year’s Dhaka Premier League when its coach Khaled Mahmud offered him to open the batting in only their second game which he grabbed with both hands.
‘I think I am much stronger now as I have overcome certain tragedies and humiliation that can be career threatening,’ said Zia.
‘I expected Khulna to be with me when I was down emotionally but they seemed reluctant about the matter and my recall in the national team is for those Khulna officials who hardly valued my worth,’ said Zia.
‘All in all my wife, family, my first coach Wahiduzzaman Selim of Khulna were beside me and always kept me rolling, giving me emotional support ,’ said Zia.
‘But to be frank, it was Sujon bhai [Mahmud] who put me back on the track as he believed that I have the capability to make a comeback ,’ said Zia.
Mahmud not only gave Zia a break in the Prime Bank team, he also picked him for the Bangladesh Premier League franchise Chittagong Kings, where he was head coach.
Zia’s spectacular form continued in the BPL as well which brought him again into national team contention, albeit only for Twenty20 cricket.
‘Looking back I feel that the injury came as a blessing in disguise for me as it helped me in concentrating more on my batting. I am a better batsman now, not just
a lower-order batsman who used to bowl fast,’ he said.
However, the Twenty20 specialist tag is not something that Zia is very comfortable with and he said he wants to be a complete cricketer rather than being a specialist in the shortest form of the game.
‘I like to take the ball to the park and that’s something I enjoyed from the very beginning of my career. But I am not comfortable with the tag of a Twenty21 specialist,’ said Zia.
‘I agree that my performance in the BPL can be a catalyst for my selection but I am confident that I can also contribute in other formats as well,’ said Zia. ‘BPL helped me regain my confidence and I hope to carry it on in the future.’

[simon]

^thanks for sharing
that is some sad story abt Zia
wish him all the best
the Sunil shetty of Bangladesh

Posted via BC Mobile Edition (Android)

[Nadim]

Feeling sad after reading this

[al Furqaan]

Khaled Mahmud does a lot of good work scouting talent for us. May he live long!

[TigerEz]

Zia bhai tumi egiye jao...amra achi tomar pacshe

[Gowza]

would have been a good time to give babu an opportunity as well as mominul, shuvagata, shabbir, even asif but they did have to factor in inexperience and giving people enough games. with mash and nazmul their as the experienced pacers they could have selected babu because most likely mash and nazmul will be their for most of the games and one of abul, ziaur and farhad will be the 3rd pacer. as it goes with batting riyad isn't a t20 player imo, he's just their because he is vice captain and junaid is coming back as is ashraful and anamul could be (hopefully) debuting so that makes the batting strength a little questionable because most likely we'll have junaid opening who hasn't played at this level for awhile then we'll probably have anamul who is debuting then ashraful who is never reliable so 3 batsmen in a row who have question marks for the moment (though i believe anamul will do fine, the others i'm not counting on).

[oronnya]

Hope Zia makes an impact in the national team !!! all my best wishes for him...

[BengaliPagol]

Ziaur Rahman can be the Bangladeshi version of Keiron Pollard

[BengaliPagol]

1. Tamim
2. Junaed/Anamul
3. Ashraful/Anamul
4. Shakib
5. Mushfiq
6. Nasir
7. Ziaur
8. Mashrafe
9. Elias
10. Razzak
11. Nazmul

As much as i love Mahmudullah i dont know where to fit him into the team and i dont think his game is suited to T20. In this team we have 7 capable bowlers (4 spinners, 3 pacers) which is enough to rotate around if one bowler isnt bowling well. The batting lineup looks strong enough. We could fit Mahmudullah into the team if we get rid off Elias.

[TigerEz]

Originally Posted by BengaliPagol
Ziaur Rahman can be the Bangladeshi version of Keiron Pollard

[shakibrulz]

Originally Posted by BengaliPagol
Ziaur Rahman can be the Bangladeshi version of Keiron Pollard

He's nothing like Pollard. From whatever little I've seen, Milon and Sabbir are the Pollard'esque players in BD - in terms of Sheer power that is. If they could improve a bit more on their shot selection and timing, they can be real good limited over players.

[ma_o_mati]

Ashraful is good t20 player

[BengaliPagol]

Originally Posted by shakibrulz
He's nothing like Pollard. From whatever little I've seen, Milon and Sabbir are the Pollard'esque players in BD - in terms of Sheer power that is. If they could improve a bit more on their shot selection and timing, they can be real good limited over players.

Ziaur and Pollard are both medium pacers as well. Arent they of similar build as well?

[fiasnahk]

I dont really want Ashraful in the squad, his strike rate is quite poor and he cant handle big situations. Jaharul would have been better, he hits some nice strokes and tries to keep things clicking over. The scariest thing about this selection is if Ash gets drafted into the ODI and Test teams after getting a few 30s. I would want to smash my head against a wall because we really are at an exciting faze where new players are coming in and Ash taking up a spot would mean less chance for others.