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Originally Posted by Sohel NR
Very true. I'd pick from a pool of the following for both the test and ODI sides: -
1. Tamim Iqbal, because I don't think he'll do any worse.
2. Shahriar Nafees, after his active rest which must include good performances in the NCL and A team cricket.
3. Nafees Iqbal, plugged into Abir's place as a gamble because we're hopelessly short of true openers, hopefully he has learned something from his mistakes.
Future prospects: -
1. Mehrab Hossain Orion for tests only, after he moves up the batting order due to good performances, NOT desperation ... give it 2 years. I don't see an ODI future for him.
2. Junayed Siddique, ODIs only, plug him in now to get his feet wet, then have him correct his flaws to a permanent place in the ODI side in 1 year, and Test side in 3 years.
3. Nazmus Sadat, ODIs only, plug him into the ODI side in 1 year to get his feet wet, then have him correct his flaws to a permanent place in the ODI side in 2 years, and Test side in 4 years.
4. Raquibul Hasan Nirala for tests only, plug him into the test team as a middle order batsman in 1 year, then have him correct his flaws to a permanent place in the test side in 2 years, have him move up the batting order due to good performances, NOT desperation. He may have an ODI future also.
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I used to think that Tamim would probably end up batting in the middle order if he ever made the test team but I've changed my mind. IMO the single most important quality an opener should have, even more urgently than a solid defence, is the ability to see the ball well early in the innings and there isn't a player in Bangladesh who does that better than Tamim. It's this trait that's allowed players like Chris Gayle and Marcus Trescothick to carve out excellent Test careers despite poor footwork and shoddy technique.
Trouble is, the other parts of Tamim's batting are so flawed that it'll be years before he even reaches that level. He should be in the academy. There are far less talented players honing their games at that academy and training 313 days a year under expert supervision. Meanwhile Tamim is busy being exposed against bowlers he isn't ready to handle yet while lounging about for months in between series.
On another note, I thought Nirala was a middle order player? Why try and convert him into an opener?