Settle the ODI batting line-up.

[Beamer]

Following the departure of Aftab and a few others, the on going transition that started in January is again going through a new transition. Keeping that in mind, I am tempted to give Jamie Siddons some leverage to find the proper batting combination and the order the selected batsman come into bat. But, we must do it quickly and once settled, stick to the players in their respective positions. It breeds continuity, fosters confidence, and allows each player to be comfortable with not only in their respective positions, but also in each other. In almost every game now, after the openers, we are having different players coming in different positions. As a result, in every innings, a run-out or two are a guaranteed outcome. It helps when you have familiarity with each other. Off course every top order batsmen must be comfortable with one another, since there is no 100% assurance of meaningful partnerships taking shape in every game, for every wicket, in descending orders. But, it also doesn't help when a wkt falls, the not-out batsman looks up and see a different player coming in on a regular basis. I am sure Siddons is looking to settle this issue which may seem trivial, but in reality, it is not.

No.3 position is crucial to any one day side. We are not settled on our no.3 since the departure of Aftab. One down batsman has to be technically one of the best in the team to cope with quality pacers and still take advantage of the Power plays. Aftab was the most able, though he did not excel on a consistent basis due to his own discretions. Rahim is not a no.3 or 4. Even with a full face of straight bat, he manages to get bowled more often than my liking. He is however a good player of spin and works the field well with intelligence. Ashraful can play no.3 at ease but that also come with some danger. I would send him at no.3 if we had a no.4 that is also as good as him potentially. So, I would rather play Rakibul at no.3 on a consistent basis, though he is a downgrade from Aftab's prodigious SR, but his technical superiority and ability to play cricket shots with temperament, among the remaining lot gives me hope that sacrificing the superior SR will come at the expense of higher runs in the end. In others words, its not a like for like replacement ( Ashraful would have been ), but a change of philosophy on how we approach building an innings.

No.4 should be Ashraful's home. He is probably the only player in our team who can generate runs post-PP with apparent ease. It will also let the top three play freely. Sakib is the obvious no.5. I think Naeem deserves the no.6. Rahim is a bit of a waste at no.7. Ideally he should bat at no.5, but for continuities sake, it should be Sakib, who has shown what a valuable member he is to the team.

I would like to see the team card in that particular order for an extended period of time. Transition period is important, but for it to be a successful one, there should be some planning ahead , and once identified, each player should be afforded the chance to get familiarized with their own skin, their own spot , and more importantly with each other. I think Siddons is still going through the experimental phase with each player. That is fine, but, sooner he settles the positions, I have a feeling we will see a better outcome.

[BD-Shardul]

Good analysis Beamer bhai. I agree with almost everything you have said.

However, what about Tamim's opening partner?

[Spitfire_x86]

#3 for Rakibul as Ash doesn't want to be there
#5 & #6 between Mushfiq and Sakib
#7 for Naeem

And no 7th batsman please. We need 3 pacers. It would be nice to have a genuine allrounder or if Mash could bat properly against pacers, but we have to settle with him at #8 for sometime.

[Beamer]

Agreed Spitty. Shahadat must improve himself and should play regardless even if its for about five-six overs a match. The opposition calling their own PP's mean, towards the end, we will have to use spinners, and we all saw what happened last game. If he can consistently pitch it full in late overs, the pace alone would give us a few wkts, not to mention a lot less sixers.

[Ajfar]

i rather hav razzak come in before mashrafee...i think at the moment finding tamim's partner is our number 1 concern..whenever BD walk into bat it's almost certain within 10-20 run we''ll lose one wicket..number 3 should be rakib...as he can continue to rotate the strike..n that way tamim can hav a go frm the other end make use of the powerplay...we shudn't make mushy bat any lower then #6...golden boy's useless

[Nadim]

i will say if next 5-10 match bd opener fail to score i will go for raqibul to open. because he used to open the inning in first class matches few years ago.

or
1)tamim
2)?
3)raqibul
4)ash
5)saqib
6)rahim
7)nayeem
8)razzak
9)mash
10?
11)rasel

no point of keeping both junaid and kayes in starting 11

[MohammedC]

Originally Posted by BD-Shardul
Good analysis Beamer bhai. I agree with almost everything you have said.

However, what about Tamim's opening partner?

I say, tell Nafis Iqbal to get fit quickly and give the position to him in both form. I am telling you, we will get another 20% out of Tamim if he bats with his brother.

[tiger_omar]

Originally Posted by nadim 98
i will say if next 5-10 match bd opener fail to score i will go for raqibul to open. because he used to open the inning in first class matches few years ago.

or
1)tamim
2)?
3)raqibul
4)ash
5)saqib
6)rahim
7)nayeem
8)razzak
9)mash
10?
11)rasel

no point of keeping both junaid and kayes in starting 11

I like that team. That #10 spot would clearly go to Shahadat if he bowled a little more consistently and not so many short deliveries.

We really have to find another solid opener for Tamim. But other than that, this team looks pretty solid so far.

[al Furqaan]

one promising thing is that the selectors are at least thinking nowadays. gone are the days when a failed lineup (no matter how ridiculous) played match after match, and only changed when a new player debuted. case in point, remember farhad opening ahead of rasel and shahadat in Pakistan? very next match rajib was back. rajib played against NZ, wasn't effective and was dropped. like it or not, good thinking or bad, the selectors are thinking and thats a start at least.

***************

beamer, a few points i want to make.

i agree with most of your post. however, i don't ash is at ease at number 3. he maybe the most technically correct (though i think raqib might beat him), but he gets overwhelmed with the pressures of number 3 batting and goes into a shell. he should be used at #4 in ODIs, and #5 in tests. until he is ready (if?) he should NOT be moved unless for strategic reasons.

the opener alongside tamim is troubling, but kayes' dismissal seemed a good shot to play, just unlucky. i'd give him another go. that means that junaid should get axed for rajib.

i think ash, sakib, and raqib are the only 3 guys we have who can score easily with 1s, 2s, and 3s after the PPs are over, with a spread field. hence ash at 4, raqib, at 5, and sakib at 6. rahim will have to play at 7.

[AsifTheManRahman]

Aftab was never good enough to bat at #3. Heck, he was never even good enough to play at #11 in a Bangladeshi domestic side, let alone at #3 in an ODI squad.

It has to be either Mushfiq or Rakib. I prefer the latter.

[Umar]

We need genuine alrounders. Mash is not an allrounder as we cannot rely on him. An Alrounder is someone like Oram, Vettory, Kallis, Jaysuriya etc. I will put Shakib and Nayeem as our allrounders for the moment.

How long are we going to rely on only ONE FAST BOWlER?

Its shameful that we don't have a genuine Fast bowler who can always be a threat with his speed and accuracy. our neighbours INDIA or Pakistan produces So many bowlers and each can be a threat to any batsman in the world.

About our bowlers and what we can expect:
Mashrafee: he is the only player we can rely on with the new ball. and sometimes his batting helps and its an extra bonus for BD. but we cannot expect runs from his bat in every match. ALSO WE CANNOT EXPECT HIM to get wickets for us in every match! and Therefore we need another Genuine Pacer who can give him support.

Sayed Rassel: This guy should always be around in the team. you cannot leave him out of the squad even if BCB finds someone extra special like Mashrafee or better.Rassel has tallent and skills. he is reliable(even if he can't take wickets, he will be economic). He Can support any bowler. However he should not be the only choice after Mashrafee. As sometimes batsmans will very easily smash him all over the ground for his lack of pace. But he is too clever as a bowler and gets the wickets. still i think we need a BackUp bowler for Rassel.

SHAHADAT: I used to believe shahadat will be that threat which every opposition will hate to face. but he never showed any improvement and i dont think he will ever be able to. he is just a noisy waste. Have no expectation from him Specially in ODI's. and in test maybe for long time labour he is ok. but No EXPECTATION. The onlytime i can expect anything from him is in TEST MATCHES IN HOME GROUNDS.

Robin: I can't tell anything yet about him. He needs to be given more chances.
Nazmul: Not a threat and shouldn't be regular in the team. but should be around for support.

Dolar Mahmud: I thought he will be a Genuine Alrounder for BD. but what happened to him? He was picked too early and thrown away? it will be too sad if he doesn't return.
Anyone else?:
So we only have Two bowlers(Fast) atm who we can rely on. tbh Rassel is not a pacer. he is just a clever leg cutter.That means we don't have a second genuine pacer who we can rely on after mashrafee. We really need TOP TWO FIRING BOWLERS. Mashrafee is one..but who will be the next?

[Pundit]

Why do we like Naeem so much ?

[sbsash]

Originally Posted by Pundit
Why do we like Naeem so much ?

because when he bowls,he keeps his economy rate low most of the time and when he bats,he stays in the wicket for a long time.

[sbsash]

wait,I think I know who should be Tamim's partner.It should be Naeem.He can stay in the wicket for a long time.So this should be the team...
1.Tamim
2.Naeem
3.Rokib
4.Ash
5.Sakib
6.Mushfiq
7.(try a new batsmen)
8.Razzak
9.Mashrafe
10.Shahadat
11.Rasel

[cricman]

Originally Posted by Pundit
Why do we like Naeem so much ?

A better version of Riad, He can pull the ball, good fielder and an offspinner picking up wickets for us is unheard of and after reading what i wrote a better version of kapali. Getting 20 from your #7 isnt bad if ur top order does their job

[sbsash]

Originally Posted by cricman
A better version of Riad, He can pull the ball, good fielder and an offspinner picking up wickets for us is unheard of.

I agree,Naeem is about twice as better as Mahmadulla.

[cricket_king]

All this team requires is a bloody opening combination. I can't believe we still haven't found someone to partner Tamim. Bring back Belim I say - at least we get some starts that way.

[MohammedC]

Originally Posted by cricman
A better version of Riad, He can pull the ball, good fielder and an offspinner picking up wickets for us is unheard of and after reading what i wrote a better version of kapali. Getting 20 from your #7 isnt bad if ur top order does their job

But is he really a # 7 because I think he is well capable of playing a better innings. Its too early to put pressure on him and move him up the order. Lets give him another 10-15 odi and if he performs reasonably well then we should promote his position. Now the big question is where. Naeem's history tells us he has opened batting during under-19 era he has also batted at #4 for academy team and now he is batting at # 7.

[Akib]

Id say Rakib at the 3, and Ash moved down to 4 or 5. Move up Mushfiq as well.

[auntu]

Roqib doesn't seems to me that he is enjoying quality pace bowling in bouncy pitch.

Hope he makes me wrong in 2nd ODI.

[BD Tigers]

Roqibul to me a Laxman of BD. In test, he shud come in #5 after Ash and in ODI, he needs to come 1st down. We need a right hand openning batsman. Be it Nafiq Iqbal or JO, who cud stay at the wk, I dont care. Then Roqib, Ash, Shakib. Wish Kapali is there at 6th. Anyway, Mushfiq/Nayeem can come after that.

[layperson]

Originally Posted by AsifTheManRahman
Aftab was never good enough to bat at #3. Heck, he was never even good enough to play at #11 in a Bangladeshi domestic side, let alone at #3 in an ODI squad.

It has to be either Mushfiq or Rakib. I prefer the latter.

If that was out of spite for Aftab joining ICl then it can be condoned but otherwise I would think its blasphemous to state something like this !! My personal opinion is Aftab was and still is the best number 3 batsman we had till now. True he had a lot of flaws but even with those he was a class above any other number 3 till now. Right now since he is out I would prefer ashraful at 3, rakib at at 4, sakib at 5 and then the rest can follow. Our core middle order should consist of these three players for the next 2 years.

[BD-Shardul]

Originally Posted by layperson
If that was out of spite for Aftab joining ICl then it can be condoned but otherwise I would think its blasphemous to state something like this !! My personal opinion is Aftab was and still is the best number 3 batsman we had till now. True he had a lot of flaws but even with those he was a class above any other number 3 till now. Right now since he is out I would prefer ashraful at 3, rakib at at 4, sakib at 5 and then the rest can follow. Our core middle order should consist of these three players for the next 2 years.

Aftab was definitely our best number three. Becasue he was the best player of pace bowling. Temperament was the issue and Siddons had just started working on that. Aftab was also showing signs of improvmemnt. But...............the rest is all known.

[tiger_club]

someone has to join ICL, at least they are saving our face unlike the national team. Because of their current performance in ICL, IPL will recruit more BD players. Our national team players already starting to shine means better prospects for BD cricket. How many Alok, Aftab do you want? They are on the way..

[Beamer]

I tried to focus on settling the order than focusing on individual players. I think we have a general idea about the core of our batsmen. With that out of the way, I think, its important for the think tank to settle on the orders of batsman so it can become a cohesive unit.

Didn't talk about the partner for Tamim simply because his partner will be an opener. It is not about who the other opener is. I am not impressed with this strategy of players coming in different positions every game. I want them to settle the order first so they can form some cohesion as a unit. All good teams have players positioned for each wkt. Only the weaker teams move around players up and down the order more frequently. Since we have already identified the core ( more or less ), I think its time we give it the stability that is needed.