Zia and Mashrafe as limited overs power hitters

[al Furqaan]

Masri has a proven track record as lower order power hitter...he can blast almost any slow bowler into low earth orbit. He will be essential in the T20 WC on SL pitches against a Pakistani spin-dominated attack.

Zia is a more unknown quanitity...he seems to struggle against spinners but seems more at ease putting pacers away. However, his lack of bowling utility means we might not be able to accomodate him in the XI.

[cricman]

I've always wanted Mashrafe to be a Middle Overs Pinch hitter in ODI's, where it's almost exclusively spin. It would give our RR and much needed boost and if his wicket fell it really wouldn't be seen as a loss.

In T20's if there is a 4-5 window against spin, you have to promote him.

[22Yards]

Mashrafee is a blind slogger. He is NOT dependable as a batsman in anyway. His last innings still doesn't justify he's a "lower order power hitter". More like a bowler who can often fetch you some quick runs on his day. I think for Mashrafee the challenge would be learning how to stay in the wicket as often times thats what bangladesh needs to win. May be then he would be a little more reliable and would make his case as a batman a little stronger.
I would rather groom Zia and upcoming shabbir to be our lower order power hitters. However, the inclusion of both of these would mean a bowler is left out ( or may use one as a replacement of the other). In that case these two needs to make up for it as a bowler.

[playmaker]

If you say that Mashrafee is a batsman who can hit the ball a long distance, then yes, he can do it. But if you are asking for a finisher then mashrafee or zia isnt the option. You need someone who's armoury is filled with a lot shots, Andre russel will be a good example, dont forget guys like david hussey, albie morkel, dwayne bravo

[Sohel]

Both are "blind sloggers" and not dependable as finishers, as crucial as some of their cameos may be. That being said, I honestly won't feel comfortable depending on either player to deliver cameos during crucial times in the match. If I HAD to put my money on either one, I'd go with Mashrafe. He's in the team as our pace spearhead anyway, and isn't a one trick pony like Zia when it comes to slogging on account of better hand-eye coordination and bat speed. I think he'll do a better job getting under the ball against spinners.

I think we need someone with better batting credentials to be that finisher in the future. I think someone like Sabbir Rahman Rumman or Junaid Siddique would be better there in theory.

Anyway, today's PA report suggests that Mushfique is pretty happy with the team, especially with Mashrafe and Zia, so I expect no change anytime soon unless Coach Pybus has different ideas. His post game presser after the Banglawash suggests that there are issues, including batting issues, that will be addressed. Whether or not he addresses the issues by trying to coach existing players according their potential, or with new players remains to be seen. My guess is on the former approach for now.

[al Furqaan]

I should specify I was meaning a power-hitter as a blind slogger type. OF course the ideal would be a guy like Jacob Oram. Right now I'm content with having Mushfiq, Riyad, and Nasir as our finishers. Before Riyad became a sissy, he (and Naeem) had a couple of great series for us down the order propelling our score to respectable ones. I'm glad to see that Pybus has almost overnight turned MaRi around into a force.

[Sohel]

I think we have a few seamers who have good potential to develop as batsmen. While their bowling may have issues, each is a clean hitter of the ball with decent technique. They are: Alauddin Babu, Dollar Mahmud, Farhad Reza and Tapash Baisya. I'm not sure any one of them can sustain their clean hitting long enough to be depended upon as finishers at this point in time.

A solid middle order guy like Shubhagauto Hom can be a finisher in ODIs but not T20Is. He needs early and easy strike rotation before finding the ropes and won't always have that in this format. In ODIs he has the luxury to wait a couple of overs, he won't/can't wait longer than that, he doesn't here batting in at the finisher's spot at 7 or 8 . He tends to play a low percentage shot trying to break the shackles when bogged down early. That will happen against good T20 sides, and unless he gets his rhythm right in this format by playing a lot of T20 matches, I don't see him contributing as a dependable finisher for us.

[Sohel]

Originally Posted by al Furqaan
I should specify I was meaning a power-hitter as a blind slogger type. OF course the ideal would be a guy like Jacob Oram. Right now I'm content with having Mushfiq, Riyad, and Nasir as our finishers. Before Riyad became a sissy, he (and Naeem) had a couple of great series for us down the order propelling our score to respectable ones. I'm glad to see that Pybus has almost overnight turned MaRi around into a force.

I know what you meant. A power hitter is generally a clean hitter of the ball even when he premeditates a swing. He can do that because he premeditates intelligently by anticipating a particular type of delivery based on pattern recognition. That's why many of these guys tend to succeed in finishing the game for their teams. Oram, Yuvraj Singh, Mathews, Perrera, Pollard, Dhoni and Albie Morkel are good examples. A guy like Raina is also a good example on flat tracks like the ones we're likely to see in Sri Lanka. Teams like Australia, England and Pakistan depend on middle to lower top order guys with hitting ability to finish for them with lower order guys playing important cameos and putting runs on the board before getting out. I think Bangladesh should follow their example until we develop the types guys I've mentioned.

A blind slogger on the other hand premeditates a shot without anticipating a particular type of delivery, and tries to make a last nano second adjustment before swinging the bat. Naturally he's a hit-or-miss player who tries to compensate the lack of cleanliness in a hit with sheer power. Luck plays a big part in their success especially against smart and skilled bowlers. They are not dependable finishers IMHO for that reason.

[Gowza]

they're not finishers, they're a couple of guys who can hit a few big shots on their best day, for a finisher you want someone more reliable, with a decent array of strokes.

[BD Rox]

Originally Posted by Gowza
they're not finishers, they're a couple of guys who can hit a few big shots on their best day, for a finisher you want someone more reliable, with a decent array of strokes.

Well said.

[z777]

Ashraful is the ultimiate answer! What an allrounder for all formats of cricket!

[playmaker]

Originally Posted by z777
Ashraful is the ultimiate answer! What an allrounder for all formats of cricket!

when was the last time he hit a six?

[shakibrulz]

Originally Posted by Sohel NR
I think we have a few seamers who have good potential to develop as batsmen. While their bowling may have issues, each is a clean hitter of the ball with decent technique. They are: Alauddin Babu, Dollar Mahmud, Farhad Reza and Tapash Baisya. I'm not sure any one of them can sustain their clean hitting long enough to be depended upon as finishers at this point in time.

Reza I had reasonable hopes on him, but seems like Razzak 2.0 to me - domestic slogger, but in Int. cricket, so ridiculously poor with the bat.

[Gowza]

reza was promising at one point, early on his his international career he scored some runs, but he can't do that anymore. he also at one stage was a decent pacer for ODIs, could have been our answer for first change, not sure what's happened to his bowling, perhaps he could still offer something with the ball but i don't think he will offer much with the bat. thing is for a pacer allrounder their bowling needs to be as good as a specialist pace basically, because the batting is a bonus, unless the pace allrounders bowling is close enough to the quality of a specialist bowler no team should be selecting a pace allrounder because generally their batting isn't good enough to make it as a batsman in the team and their bowling to be a bonus, it's usually they're a bowler with bonus batting skills.

[Jadukor]

There is promise in both. They have the power and the physique to do it. What is lacking is probably the mental aspect. Both these guys needs to read the game situation better while playing. If the match situation dictates avoiding risky shots and taking singles then they should be able and willing to do that.

[Ian Pont]

Originally Posted by Sohel NR
Both are "blind sloggers" and not dependable as finishers, as crucial as some of their cameos may be. That being said, I honestly won't feel comfortable depending on either player to deliver cameos during crucial times in the match. If I HAD to put my money on either one, I'd go with Mashrafe. He's in the team as our pace spearhead anyway, and isn't a one trick pony like Zia when it comes to slogging on account of better hand-eye coordination and bat speed. I think he'll do a better job getting under the ball against spinners.

I think we need someone with better batting credentials to be that finisher in the future. I think someone like Sabbir Rahman Rumman or Junaid Siddique would be better there in theory.

Anyway, today's PA report suggests that Mushfique is pretty happy with the team, especially with Mashrafe and Zia, so I expect no change anytime soon unless Coach Pybus has different ideas. His post game presser after the Banglawash suggests that there are issues, including batting issues, that will be addressed. Whether or not he addresses the issues by trying to coach existing players according their potential, or with new players remains to be seen. My guess is on the former approach for now.

Correct on all counts

[tglover]

Zia I see as Bangladesh's potential "Shahid Afridi" as far as batting goes. He is being groomed as a middle-lower order slogger there is no doubt about that. And that's fair enough too in Twenty20. It's not as if he is being considered for test cricket or even ODIs. If he can score more 30s and 40s like he did in his debut against Ireland I don't think anyone on this forum should be complaining too much?