All-rounder Shakib al Hasan and opening batsman Tamim Iqbal are the two most successful players of Bangladesh across all formats of international matches but Tigers head coach Steve Rhodes thought their irreplaceable absence due to injury may actually become a blessing in disguise.
Bangladesh will miss the services of two of their most dependable players against Zimbabwe in the home series that starts Sunday but Rhodes thought this offers a great opportunity for young players to showcase their potential.
"I see it as a real positive. It is opportunities for other people. If those guys grasp their chance, it would show we have depth in our squad,” said Rhodes Thursday to the media after the Tigers’ practice session at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.
The 54-year old English coach even thought the competition among the young players is a healthy practice as that will improve the side’s depth, an important thing for their progress.
Rabbi: Shakib irreplaceable, I want to play my way https://t.co/azSWLvlUXJ#Bangladesh team started their training camp at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National #Cricket Stadium in Dhaka Monday ahead of the three-match ODI series against #Zimbabwe.
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) October 15, 2018
“If there are competition for places, people will always try to perform at their best. It is a healthy thing. We want depth,” he added.
Tamim is the highest run-getter in all formats of Bangladesh cricket while Test and T20I captain Shakib is not only the highest wicket-taker in those formats, but also one of the top-scorers in all three formats.
More importantly, Shakib and Tamim, along with Mashrafe bin Mortaza, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah have transformed Bangladesh from a perennial loser to a force to be reckoned with as the Tigers got plethora of international success in recent years.
But Bangladesh are going to miss these two cornerstones of their side as they have been forced out due to injury. Tamim got injured during the Asia Cup and Shakib’s injury that he sustained early in the year was aggravated in the same tournament.
However, Bangladesh reached the final of the Asia Cup without the duo and lost to India agonisingly in the final ball to finish as the runners-up.