Hatebreed
September 17, 2006, 06:34 PM
SHAHRIAR A SHINING STAR
By David Clough, PA Sport
It is no surprise to see 20-year-old Bangladesh opener Shahriar Nafees is beginning to attract recognition at the highest level.
The new Bangladesh vice-captain is conspicuous among his countrymen who, to a man apart from him, are often their own worst enemy when it comes to batting.
Shahriar may not have the same level of natural ability which helped Mohammad Ashraful become the youngest centurion in cricket history.
Where he scores, however, way better than Ashraful and a host of other naive strokemakers is in an astute shot selection patently lacking in his team-mates.
The left-handed Shahriar does not feel the need to go after every ball.
He has the confidence of a proper batsman, setting out not to grab the runs he can before inevitable dismissal but to build an innings without taking undue risk or missing his scoring opportunities.
The results - a maiden Test century against Australia, no less, among other innings which promise an international career of substance - have earned him a nomination for the International Cricket Council's emerging player of the year award.
When the winner is announced Shahriar will probably play second fiddle to one or two others from more established cricket countries.
Yet among his Bangladeshi peers, he is outstanding.
Shahriar's reaction to his nomination provides a clue too to the temperament which should ensure he makes the most of his talent.
"It was not because of that knock against Australia but rather the whole season where I showed adequate consistency," he suggests modestly.
Shahriar's cricket ambitions appear to be bound up not merely with personal advancement but Bangladeshi progress.
"It is very encouraging," he added.
"But I don't see anything from an individual's perspective."
That may sound more than humble. But Shahriar is wise to seek to promote Bangladesh rather than merely himself - after all he can only develop within the limitations of a team who have occasionally revealed significant talent yet most often are outclassed in international cricket.
None of that is likely to change in next month's Champions Trophy.
But in Shahriar, Bangladesh have for the first time unearthed a batsman with the self-belief and technique to glue together the gung-ho approach of his team-mates.
Other Tigers may end up hogging the highlights - with their very good shots and their very bad ones - but Bangladesh will not prove a match for the Test powers on the back of an Ashraful or Aftab Ahmed cameo alone.
To be properly competitive, they need some solidity from Shahriar - and a couple more like him would do no harm either.
http://www.sportinglife.com/cricket/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=cricket/06/09/17/CRICKET_Champions_Bangladesh_Sha.html
Nice to see our young 'star' getting some highly recognition ahead of CT, although his determination to prioritise the team's interests shows great courage and selfnessness of a vice-captain. Hopefully he'll maintain his form and temperment to become a great cricketer and captain. :)
By David Clough, PA Sport
It is no surprise to see 20-year-old Bangladesh opener Shahriar Nafees is beginning to attract recognition at the highest level.
The new Bangladesh vice-captain is conspicuous among his countrymen who, to a man apart from him, are often their own worst enemy when it comes to batting.
Shahriar may not have the same level of natural ability which helped Mohammad Ashraful become the youngest centurion in cricket history.
Where he scores, however, way better than Ashraful and a host of other naive strokemakers is in an astute shot selection patently lacking in his team-mates.
The left-handed Shahriar does not feel the need to go after every ball.
He has the confidence of a proper batsman, setting out not to grab the runs he can before inevitable dismissal but to build an innings without taking undue risk or missing his scoring opportunities.
The results - a maiden Test century against Australia, no less, among other innings which promise an international career of substance - have earned him a nomination for the International Cricket Council's emerging player of the year award.
When the winner is announced Shahriar will probably play second fiddle to one or two others from more established cricket countries.
Yet among his Bangladeshi peers, he is outstanding.
Shahriar's reaction to his nomination provides a clue too to the temperament which should ensure he makes the most of his talent.
"It was not because of that knock against Australia but rather the whole season where I showed adequate consistency," he suggests modestly.
Shahriar's cricket ambitions appear to be bound up not merely with personal advancement but Bangladeshi progress.
"It is very encouraging," he added.
"But I don't see anything from an individual's perspective."
That may sound more than humble. But Shahriar is wise to seek to promote Bangladesh rather than merely himself - after all he can only develop within the limitations of a team who have occasionally revealed significant talent yet most often are outclassed in international cricket.
None of that is likely to change in next month's Champions Trophy.
But in Shahriar, Bangladesh have for the first time unearthed a batsman with the self-belief and technique to glue together the gung-ho approach of his team-mates.
Other Tigers may end up hogging the highlights - with their very good shots and their very bad ones - but Bangladesh will not prove a match for the Test powers on the back of an Ashraful or Aftab Ahmed cameo alone.
To be properly competitive, they need some solidity from Shahriar - and a couple more like him would do no harm either.
http://www.sportinglife.com/cricket/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=cricket/06/09/17/CRICKET_Champions_Bangladesh_Sha.html
Nice to see our young 'star' getting some highly recognition ahead of CT, although his determination to prioritise the team's interests shows great courage and selfnessness of a vice-captain. Hopefully he'll maintain his form and temperment to become a great cricketer and captain. :)