Imagine 3 years time (ODI)

[bourny3]

Looking at the current squad for ODIs in which I beleive should be the squad for the next 3 years so that the players can get experience and develop confidence at the top level.

The Squad

Mohammad Ashraful (C)

Mashrafe Mortaza (VC)

Abdur Razzaq

Aftab Ahmed

Dhiman Ghosh (WC)

Farhad Reza

Junaid Siddique

Mahmadullah

Nazimuddin

Shahadat Hossain

Shahriar Nafees

Shakib Al Hasan

Syed Rasel

Tamim Iqbal

Add to this list

Mehrab Hossain Jnr

Mushfiqur Rahim

Nazmul Hossain

Imrul Kayash

Sajidul Islam

Enamul Haque Jnr

Rajin Saleh

Alok Kapali

Habibul Bashar

Raqibul Hasan

Shamsur Rahman

This should be the squad of 25 players for the next 3 years. Obviously some will not get a game and some will only play a few. Maybe there will be 1 or 2 players from outside this group that may get a chance through only excellent performances in the domestic and Academy matches. I have included Habibul Bashar in the side as he has a great deal of experience in which he should pass that on to the young players. In the current squad Mohammad Ashraful is the most experienced player and he is just 23. Yes, he is the captain but at 23 the players will not learn as much from him as Habibul Bashar because Ashraful still has to learn and has double the amount of cricket left in him that he has played. Whereas Habibul Bashar has been there done that over the past 10-12 years going through the highs and lows of Bangladesh cricket. Having said that I think Bashar could not be included in touring squads but still go along as a senior figure in the team. Also Mohammad Rafique retiring was a huge blow for Bangladesh even though he “jumped before he was pushed”. The board made it quite clear by not selecting him for ODIs that they were going for the youth policy. Which is fine but he was playing great cricket and most countries like to have their best team on the park you would think. He would definitely be in Bangladesh’s best team even now. Rafique would be of great value on tours as well as he should provide coaching for the plethora of left arm spinners Bangladesh has.

Of the players listed above he would be mentoring Abdur Razzaq, Mahmadullah, Shakib Al Hasan, Mehrab Hossain Jnr and Enamul Haque Jnr. 5 spinners in the one squad. Of these spinners at this stage Abdur Razzaq and Mahmadullah would be in the team and obviously Shakib Al Hasan would be in the side purely on his batting ability.

Habibul Bashar would be mentoring Mohammad Ashraful, Aftab Ahmed, Dhiman Ghosh, Junaid Siddique, Nazimuddin, Shahriar Nafees, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Imrul Kayash, Rajin Saleh, Alok Kapali, Raqibul Hasan and Shamsur Rahman. All these players wouldn’t be on tour at the one time so he would only have about 7 or 8 players that he would be working with.

In 3 years time the dream team for ODIs would be:

1. Tamim Iqbal: We have seen what this guy can do. In ODIs he came onto the scene with his knock against India in the WC 07, He has made a highest score of 129 and has made some solid scores apart from that. At just 19 now in 3 years time he will be 22 and hopefully being more consistent and scoring runs. By the time he is 25 he should be in top form and being the Matthew Hayden of Bangladesh cricket. By this stage he will be 10 years better off than Hayden.

2. Shahriar Nafees: We know how good this guy can be he has scored 1000+ runs in a calendar year before in ODIs. Once he finds this form again I think it will be hard for him to get into a form slump again. Having scored 4 ODI hundreds and plenty of 50s he knows what to do at this level. At 22 now in 3 years he will be 25. Still very young for cricket but he will be scoring plenty of runs for his country.

3. Aftab Ahmed: This guy has played well for Bangladesh in ODIs but seems to find ways to get himself out. He is the entertainer of the team. Having scored 14 ODI 50s he knows how to score runs. But just can’t go on with it. Time is very much on his side at 22 he will be 25 in 3 years and will have hopefully worked out his game and scored that century and many more that have eluded him.

4. Mohammad Ashraful (c): He will still be the captain in my opinion. Being the most senior player in the group at this stage of his career he should be getting more consistent with his run scoring but he isn’t which is frustrating people and even now he is in a form slump. He just needs to believe in himself. At 23 almost 24 Ashraful will be 27 in 3 years time, he will be hitting his peak and scoring plenty of runs. Just think in 3 years time Ashraful might have 10 years left in him yet. What a massive career that will be he just needs to believe in himself.

5. Shakib Al Hasan: At this current stage he is in the form of his career. He can do no wrong even though the whole side is. Scored his 2^nd ODI hundred in his last game. Taking wickets with the ball as well as being economical. Not much more you can ask of this guy he will obviously have to have a slump at some stage and it will come probably sooner rather than later. But we know what this guy can do as we are seeing now. At 21 he will be 24 in 3 year’s time and still a very young cricketer. This guy could be a superstar but it will take time.

6. Junaid Siddique: At the moment I believe the side is short 1 batsman. There are enough part time options to bowl out the 5^th lot of 10 overs with Ashraful, Aftab and Shakib, usually Shakib would bowl the whole 10. So there is no need for another all-rounder. Siddique could swap with Shahriar Nafees in the opening spot also from this position. Mike Hussey does it for Australia so Saddique can do it for Bangladesh. Imagine in 3 years time Siddique coming in in the 35^th over at 4/200 what kind of scores Bangladesh could make. In 3 years time he will be just 23. Still developing and becoming a world class player.

7. Farhad Reza/Mahmadullah: This is the final allrounders spot. Mahmadullah would play on spinner friendly wickets in the subcontinent and Farhad would play in the juicy wickets elsewhere. This position is up for grabs and maybe one of them would cement their spot and force the other one out. This is going to be an interesting competition over the next 3 years. Reza is slightly more experienced at ODI level but both are proving assets to the team and both around the age of 22 will be 25 in 3 years and with plenty of cricket ahead of them.

8. Dhiman Ghosh/Mushfiqur Rahim: The wicket keeper spot will be a fight between these two. Khaled Mashud seems to be out of the picture as selectors have gone with the youth policy. Dhiman Ghosh is a capable keeper but with the bat he has not shown a great deal in his 10 ODIs. Mushfiqur Rahim went through a form slump with both bat and gloves before being dropped. At only 19 and Dhiman 20 they both have plenty of time for improvement and to show their worth to the team. One of these players will be streets ahead in 3 years time and will have cemented their spot.

9. Abdur Razzaq: Bangladesh’s best spinner now that Rafique has retired. At almost 26 he is the oldest player in the Bangladesh side. Having said this he probably has 10 years left in him. In 65 ODIs he has 91 wickets at 25.78. Is just outside the top 10 ODI bowlers and can stick around with the bat. In 3 years time he will be 29 and bowling well for Bangladesh.

10. Mashrafe Mortaza: Bangladesh’s best and most unfortunate fast bowler. Has had a terrible time with injuries throughout his career otherwise he would be in the top 10 bowlers. Just finding his way back to top form now after yet another injury. Took his 100^th ODI wicket recently at an average of 30.90. At 24 let’s hope his injuries are behind him and he can have 10 full years of cricket left in his body. In 3 years he will still be Bangladesh’s best fast bowler and at 27 he will be taking plenty of wickets. Also very handy with the bat as he has shown through scoring 30+ with Shakib and putting on 97 for the 9^th wicket when Bangladesh were struggling in the last ODI.

11. Shahadat Hossain/Syed Rasel: The third spot which is up for grabs. Both fast bowlers but bowl completely differently. Shahadat Hossain is an express pace man who can be erratic at times. On his day he can be lethal. At almost 22 he has plenty of time to find his line and length and become a more successful bowler. Syed Rasel is what Shahadat wants. He bowls the line and length that annoys batsman and they can’t score off his deliveries. An advantage for Syed is that he is a left arm bowler, which also makes him successful. At almost 24 he is a few years ahead of Shahadat in his development. In three years time I believe these players will still be fighting it out for this spot. Maybe Shahadat will win out if he finds his line and length.


The average age of this team of 14 players is 21.9 years of age. With an oldest player in Abdur Razzaq at almost 26 years of age. The youngest players are Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim Iqbal at 19 years of age.

So in 3 years time the average age of this side will be 25 years of age. Which would still be the youngest team in international cricket. The future for Bangladesh cricket looks bright if the selectors stick with a squad of very young players and nurture them through this tough stage they are currently in.