Bangladesh cricket team’s batting worries are there to see for everyone. They got eliminated from the Asia Cup 2023 after they lost the first two Super 4s games. Bangladesh’s batting is a bit of a concern just before the ODI World Cup. The captain Shakib al Hasan also talked about those things after Sri Lanka’s game. He also talks about the inability of Mohammad Naim to convert the starts into a big score. Also, the former Bangladesh spinner, Abdur Razzak came in favour of Mohammad Naim.
Naim missed out on an opportunity in the Asia Cup 2023
Mohammad Naim got the opportunity after a regular opener Tamim Iqbal and Litton Das ruled out of the Asia Cup 2023 due to injury. Although the latter came back to the team during the mid-tournament.
Bangladesh gives chance to Mohammad Naim and Tanzid Hasan at the top. But both the openers didn’t live up to the team’s expectations. The team also tried M Hasan Miraz as an opener. And he scored a century against Afghanistan too. But he is not a long-term solution for Bangladesh Cricket at the top of the order.
Mohammad Naim failed to score big
Naim played 4 games in the Asia Cup 2023. And he got the start in every game, spending some time at the crease. But he failed to score big in all four innings despite getting starts. His scores in those 4 innings were 16 (23 balls), 28 (32 balls), 20 (25 balls), and 21 (46 balls).
So you can see he got the starts in every game. But didn’t score big in a single game.
Shakib on Naim’s inability to score big
Shakib al Hasan pointed out on Naim’s inability to score big despite getting the starts. He said Mohammad Naim has to work on his mental aspect rather than the skillset.
“My view of Naim is that if someone can score 20 runs, then he can score 80 runs or 100 runs. He got the start in all four games. He’s getting out after getting a start, so he needs to focus on mentality rather than skill,” Shakib said following the Sri Lanka match.
Naim’s ODI career hasn’t got going
Naim has only played 8 ODIs so far. And in the 7 innings, he only managed to score 95 runs. The left-hander is not new to international. Cricket. Naim has made his international debut in November 2019 against India in T20Is. Since then, he went on to play 35 T20Is and one test as well.
He showed glimpses of his talent in those games. And he will look to come back to the team after working on his game.
Abdur Razzak comes in support of Mohammad Naim
Now, Abdur Razzak came in support of Mohammad Naim and asked to understand things before criticizing Naim.
“Of course, there will be criticism. You guys are here to criticize, so that’s what we’ll do. But if there was understanding, then there wouldn’t be any criticism. If criticism is done without understanding, then there’s not much you can say,” Razzak told reporters.
Naim knows what he has to do – Razzak
Razzak added a few more things regarding the selection of Mohammad Naim. He said – “When someone doesn’t click it becomes the selctors’ fault, the president’s fault, or the coach and captain’s fault. I don’t understand why do we look for so many flaws. It’s alright, it doesn’t matter. You have cleared that it’s because he is not up to the mark. The point is, if he doesn’t click, then there isn’t anything you can do. He will understand what to do.”
Naim is not in the squad for the New Zealand series
Although Abdur Razzak backed Mohammad Naim, the selectors have dropped the left-handed top-order batter from the 3-match ODI series against New Zealand before the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. This indicates that Naim will most likely not be a part of the WC squad as well.
Also, Tamim Iqbal is also back on the team with Litton Das already there. Bangladesh has options in Tanzid Hasan and Mehedi Hasan Miraz if they are looking for a backup opener in the WC 2023.
Conclusion
Mohammad Naim has been dropped from the NZ series. He will look at it as a reality check. Naim will work on his game more and look to come back stronger in the future. He has age on his side. And who knows, if someone got injured before or during the WC, he might get a chance in the WC as well. Let’s see what happens next.
Bangladesh will play 3 ODIs against NZ and two warm-up games before they start their WC campaign. They will play the first WC game against Afghanistan on October 07 in Dharamsala.
What are your predictions? How far will the Bangladesh team go in the ICC World Cup 2023? Comment down below in the comment section.
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