Currently Bangladesh are terrible in t20is, they have exactly 0 batsmen with >100 t20i runs in the last 2 years who have batted with a SR above 125.
The strange part is that they have the players to be much better, even one more consistent batsman will make such a huge difference.
Atm Afif Hossain seems to be their best t20i batsman, but Shakib and Liton are decent contributors too. The problem is that all the all the batsmen around them cant even score 20+ regularly and when they do, they eat up just as many balls. I'd go with the following batting lineup
1.
Najmul Hossain : He's been making runs consistently in the BPL, and has done alright in t20is. Much more reliable than most of the other options to not get out in the first 3 overs.
2.
Liton Das : Underperfomed for his potential in t20is till now but having more reliable batsmen around him will allow him to play more aggressively like he did against India. The fact that he's striking at 124 in the last 2 years is very concerning tbh.
3.
T
owhid Hridoy : Honestly would be surprised if he did not get an international call up soon. Hes the 4th highest run scorer so far in the BPL and he's batting at almost 150 SR. Been around for a while too, should be ready to take the next jump.
4.
Shakib Al Hasan : Been batting at 190 SR this BPL, and I dont expect him to change his style of batting for the national team either. Honestly its pretty refreshing to see him batting like this.
5.
Afif Hossain : The best batsman for Bangladesh in t20is in recent times, with a functioning top order he might not to do the heavy lifting as often. Hopefully he keeps his form for longer because if the middle order starts misfiring too, it could get pretty ugly
6.
Yasir Ali : Hasn't been the most consistent but he has the ability to clear the rope and has played some good cameos this season. Think he deserves atleast a few more series.
7.
Nurul Hasan : Hasnt had the best time lately but he is the VC of the team afaik and definitely not the worst option for a finisher. Would be quite weird to see him booted from the team, there's not exactly a surplus of players that can take his role.
I mean this batting lineup isnt too dissimilar from the one Bangladesh play currently but a little more clarity on roles and some more consistency from the top order bats can significantly improve things. I like that a lot of the international players are batting at high strike rates in the BPL, I think there has been a conscious effort to start picking such players. The bowling lineup is also promising and Bangladesh should be doing much better with the players they have than they are right now imo.
www.cricbuzz.com
