Who is our 2nd opener?

[sadi]

Bangladesh is two warm-up games away from their 2007 World Cup adventure and guess what we still haven't found our 2nd opener. Shahriar Nafees is our first opener and one of the most important batsman in our batting lineup. But we are still not decided on who will open with him in the game against India on 17th. Lets look at the options we have:

Tamim: When Bangladesh departed for WI, it was his job to lose and he is doing quite well to do just that. So far, he played in both of the practice matches and scored 22 runs. He can score quickly but he is still very unexperienced. He has only 4 odis behind him and looks like a project in progress. Another failure or two and we might see someone else opening with Shahriar Nafees against India.

Rajin: He has been taken on the squad as a backup middle order but he will be my choice if Tamim has to be dropped ahead of Javed Omar. He is a good fielder and can do little bit of offspin. He has played well in opening slot before and is currently on form.

Javed Omar: I am not sure why he is in the squad but since he is here, I will be happy to see him carry drinks. He is a good fielder and we can use him as a 12th man. I rather have Rajin open with Shahriar Nafees than him.

Tamim's inclusion in the side was too early but it's a mistake that can't be corrected now. The question remains do we go with him against India eventhough he failed to show anything in the international level just yet. He can score quickly and him scoring runs against India may help us pull off a surprise win. But what's the probability of that happening? He is still very raw and struggling against "parar" bowling of Bermuda and Canada. What's the probability of him finding his form against much better bowlers like Zaheer Khan or Munaf Patel? Do we really have to play this "jodi laiga jay" game?

Discuss.

[cricketboy]

Rajin can be tried from the next game, but I am worried Rajin's slow batting may put extra pressure on SN to bat aggressively.

[nafees_mashrafee]

tamim iqbal is aftab-ashraful type player. he rides a lot on his luck. he may score 15-20 in all the games in this world cup, but may get lucky in a crucial game and score a quickfire 50+. on the other hand whether its rajin saleh or javed omar they will score 15-20 in 50+ balls then get out and put pressure to score quickly on key players like SN, saqib and bashar who actually have the ability to guide the team to a big score through sensible batting. Even if tamim scores just 15-20 runs, he will score those runs in less than 25 balls. then players like saqib, SN, bashar, mushfiq can actually bat with good temperment while aftab, ashraful, mashrafee can score quickly. Whether its tamim, javed or rajin, their contribution will be <= 20. so, i say since we have picked tamim, lets just play him.

[bdbazar_com]

I think we should give tamim a chance in WC, you never know what if he score a quick 40+ against india or Sri? Rajin/Gulla can score 15-20 but that wont change result.

[roaring tigerz]

Tamim for sure. He plays at least the first 2 games of the WC.

[cricket_king]

Well in my point of view, its too late to drop tamim now. In the match against canada he was run out, and it seemed to me like he was trying to play slightly slower, considering his strike rate. Unless tamim scores ducks in both practice matches against nz and scotland, i see no reason to not choose him. It's too late now........I say stick with the decision.

[esteban_loaiza]

Tamim or Javed or Rajin.... Either way we are screwed. Our selectors are completely responsible for this that they still have to do experiments with opening batsman. I call for the resignation of selectors if Bangladesh fail to qualify for the 2nd round.

[roc]

in my opinion, i wld like 2 see Tamim opening because what's the probability that we are gonna beat ind or srilanka, but if tamim plays and with a little luck, u never no.

[Ejaj]

Well, I dont have the choice to select any one from them. If there were, My choice would have been mehrab jr. Thats it. However, looking the team , I have to go Rajin in place of Tamim. ( none of them, btw, are my best choice)

[PoorFan]

We thought Tamim as 'jodi laiga jay' type of player in WC, now it seems he will be a 'few edged boundary' type of player at best against India and Sri Lanka. And it's hard to believe whether he can survive even 1 or 2 overs against big guns. It's really a tricky situation for BD. I think he is struggling to adopt with the WI pitch, I don't know whether it's a good idea to continue with him in next practice matches, rather let Rajin or Javed chance to adopt with. Either way it seems a gamble now, so it's up to selectors which gamble they prefers.

[Mohiul]

Tamim should be tried until the 2nd match of the World Cup that means four more matches

[Antora]

I don't even know why they chose tamim in the team... i thought he would be good.. but it looks like he's good for nothing

[Tendulkar_Mcgrath]

tamim is my preferrence. Even Rajin could be tried. But plz no Javed Omar against India at least.

[nmhimal]

Originally Posted by nafees_mashrafee
tamim iqbal is aftab-ashraful type player. he rides a lot on his luck. he may score 15-20 in all the games in this world cup, but may get lucky in a crucial game and score a quickfire 50+. on the other hand whether its rajin saleh or javed omar they will score 15-20 in 50+ balls then get out and put pressure to score quickly on key players like SN, saqib and bashar who actually have the ability to guide the team to a big score through sensible batting. Even if tamim scores just 15-20 runs, he will score those runs in less than 25 balls. then players like saqib, SN, bashar, mushfiq can actually bat with good temperment while aftab, ashraful, mashrafee can score quickly. Whether its tamim, javed or rajin, their contribution will be <= 20. so, i say since we have picked tamim, lets just play him.

well said, i support you. no more change please.

[Imteaz]

Tamim is Playing, Let Him Play. Dont Change Him. I was not a Supporter of Tamim. But He has already started to play. Dont Change him for 10-15 Matches, Whatever His Performance. Give Him Time.

[karimjay.]

10-15.

Isnt that abit too much though?

[Imteaz]

Originally Posted by Jkrulz
10-15.

Isnt that abit too much though?

Otherwise We Cannot Expect Normal Game from Him. He Needs to Adjust with Different Condition, Type of Strategy and Opponant. Than He will Start to Play His Natural Game. Our Media Do Not Understand That Much. Watch Australia. Any Player has to Wait for Long Time to Get Chance in National team. If Anyone Gets Chance he is Hardly Go Out Before 2-3 Series. Tamim also Need Time to Play His Natural Game. 10-15 ODI is Not that Much. We Play 25-30 ODI in a Calendar Year.

[zakirc]

How many wildcards do you people want in out team for a given match? Remember, while wildcards can turn the course of a game on their EID day, more often than not they will actually cause the teams collapse. With a SN, a capable hitter as opener and aftab, saqib, ashrafool, bashar, mushfiq, mashrafee and rafiq to follow we need a sheet anchor as SN's partner.

Its true that Saqib showed his capacity yesterday and also in the few games he played. But is that, or mushfiq's performance sufficient to consider them for this role for WC matches against the big guns? What horrifies me is a pitch that gives some assistance to pacers early on (Most likely in WI), and our fragile top-order facing Vaas - Malinga and the likes .... we could quickly slump into something like 25/5 .... Having a solid defensive batter to open might stop this collapse.

[hoodlum]

Originally Posted by antora93
I don't even know why they chose tamim in the team... i thought he would be good.. but it looks like he's good for nothing

ok then show me some other opener right now who is atleast good for something...listen tamim has forced his way to the team just becoz of his performance in the U19s,domestic leagues and list A matches...he overcame other performers e.g junaid imroz,nazmus sadat...its just a fact that he didnt do well on the entrance like SN,mehrab jnr,sakib etc but time hasnt come yet to be hopeless...he just played 4ODIs so far and how come certain ppl starts to criticise such 17yr old kid!! its unjustice coz he hasnt got enough chances and he should play atleast in the next warm up games if not the WC...dont forget javed and rajin are tested and when they play a big knock (coz they consumes more amount of balls) there is less % chance of bd winning...whereas tamim has showed that when he plays..he creates pressure to the opponent bowlers not to our own batsmen!!! i dont know whats waiting for tamim in the future but the selectors felt to give him a shot becoz he deserves that...im mentioning some points below for which the selectors had to do that:

1.Mehrab jnr played well but his batting wasnt ideal for ODIs (mayb he will improve later).
2.We all know (i hope u also know) javed's ability so nothing to write about..lolzz..selectors took him for the sake of experience nothing else..otherwise he would have been playng from this tri-series.
3.Rajin is ok and has good techniques..but right now the way team management is thinkin..he didnt get the 1st priority coz he is also a bit on the slower side (mayb from the next match team management might go with him and he might prove me wrong playn some quick knocks).
4.Imroz and Sadat was also in the list of the selector's mind but tamim's performance was much better than them for which currently he is in the team.

I jus want to say that tamim might not play well and he may not succeed but since we dont have enough option right now we should give him enough chance to prove himself rather than criticising and hurting his moral.

[sadi]

The game against New Zealand will tell how good Tamim really is. If he struggles again against NZ, it will be tough for the team management to keep playing him. On the other hand, a good innings of 30+ will ensure his place throughout the world cup.

[Tigers_eye]

The selectors coach and captain should know the past history. For the last 3 years we don't have the 2nd opener. We tried JO, NIqbal, RSaleh, Ash, Mehrab Jr., Rafique (it clicked on one game scored 72). By the grace of the Almighty we got SNafees. So going with JO or Saleh may give us the same headaches that we had been getting day in day out.

That was the reason for selecting Tamim (who can give us the Jodi laigga jai start). That was our strategy (not a good one but that was the thinking because of the ODI nature of restriction overs and thinking outside the box). Now, right before the implementation stage we just can't change our strategy. Believing in your strategy or buying in to the strategy is the first step of the implementation process. That would be worse than not having a strategy and would give wrong signals to the players. Right now the players should go in believing we can win the big one. The Team management must stick to what they planned and ride with Tamim at least the first two games of the WC. I care less who plays against bermuda if we don't win any of the first two.

[Farhad]

Originally Posted by sadi
Bangladesh is two warm-up games away from their 2007 World Cup adventure and guess what we still haven't found our 2nd opener. Shahriar Nafees is our first opener and one of the most important batsman in our batting lineup. But we are still not decided on who will open with him in the game against India on 17th. Lets look at the options we have:

Tamim: When Bangladesh departed for WI, it was his job to lose and he is doing quite well to do just that. So far, he played in both of the practice matches and scored 22 runs. He can score quickly but he is still very unexperienced. He has only 4 odis behind him and looks like a project in progress. Another failure or two and we might see someone else opening with Shahriar Nafees against India.

Rajin: He has been taken on the squad as a backup middle order but he will be my choice if Tamim has to be dropped ahead of Javed Omar. He is a good fielder and can do little bit of offspin. He has played well in opening slot before and is currently on form.

Javed Omar: I am not sure why he is in the squad but since he is here, I will be happy to see him carry drinks. He is a good fielder and we can use him as a 12th man. I rather have Rajin open with Shahriar Nafees than him.

Tamim's inclusion in the side was too early but it's a mistake that can't be corrected now. The question remains do we go with him against India eventhough he failed to show anything in the international level just yet. He can score quickly and him scoring runs against India may help us pull off a surprise win. But what's the probability of that happening? He is still very raw and struggling against "parar" bowling of Bermuda and Canada. What's the probability of him finding his form against much better bowlers like Zaheer Khan or Munaf Patel? Do we really have to play this "jodi laiga jay" game?

Discuss.

Agree with most of it, except for the fact that Tamim's inclusion was too early. It was too late IMO. They should have tried him out for the first two games against Zimbabwe, that way, we would have known his potential before taking risks and including him in the top 15 after just 2 games. Like ive always said, the selectors made a huge mistake not including him in the team in those first two matches......

[sadi]

Originally Posted by BD4eva
Agree with most of it, except for the fact that Tamim's inclusion was too early. It was too late IMO. They should have tried him out for the first two games against Zimbabwe, that way, we would have known his potential before taking risks and including him in the top 15 after just 2 games. Like ive always said, the selectors made a huge mistake not including him in the team in those first two matches......

When I said too early, I didn't mean his inclusion in terms of World cup. What I meant is he is not yet ready for the international cricket and thus picked too early. What if he was tried for the first two games against Zimbabwe and failed, who would we pick then?

[hoodlum]

Originally Posted by sadi
When I said too early, I didn't mean his inclusion in terms of World cup. What I meant is he is not yet ready for the international cricket and thus picked too early. What if he was tried for the first two games against Zimbabwe and failed, who would we pick then?

2-3 games doesnt show anyones potential...maybe tamim still wouldv been picked...or else imroz/mehrab jnr...

[Farhad]

Even if Tamim failed in the first two matches, his place in the WC 15 wouldnt be under debate. The only alternative - Mehrab. He would be in the team, but that doesnt mean he would play. Rajin would have a better chance of being given a try in the 2 warmup matches weve already played. That way, we would have known both Tamim's potential and Rajin's improvement(?). We can still do that in the next two warmup matches, but its a much larger risk so close to the tournament....We can choose between Rajin/Tamim after that.