The ongoing One Day International series against New Zealand was significant in many ways as quite a few players were under the limelight to seal their spot in the final cut of the 15-man squad for the upcoming World Cup.
As the first ODI between Bangladesh and New Zealand was washed out after the Kiwis batted for 30-odd overs, the second game of the series, where the Tigers lost by 86 runs, became the last chance saloon for the World Cup hopefuls.
Soumya Sarkar was one of them but he failed miserably with the bat as he was out for a duck off the second ball he faced.
Soumya can play quite a few roles as he is a top-order batsman, can bat at No 7 and even bowl some handy overs with his medium pace.
He had a golden opportunity to seal the spot for the mega event but the left-hander continued his poor form with the willow, which he has been carrying for more than a year in domestic cricket.
By the look of things, Soumya’s chances appear very slim.
But Mahmudullah grabbed his chance with both hands and scored some crucial runs which could give him an opportunity to further his ODI career.
Mahmudullah made 49 off 76 deliveries with four fours and one six.
At one stage, he was batting on 39 off 42 but later slowed down his innings as wickets were tumbling at the other end.
Bangladesh could not avoid defeat despite Mahmudullah’s 49 and the strike rate was not that impressive either - 64.47 - in ODI terms.
But during the first part of Mahmudullah’s effort, the hosts were on course.
After losing half their side with 92 runs on the board, Mahmudullah and Mahedi Hasan’s 42-run partnership gave Bangladesh some hope.
Mahmudullah was a major talking point in the last few months among fans and pundits all over the country, particularly the way he was excluded from the squad in the name of “rest”, and whether he should be a part of the World Cup contingent.
The Tigers tried young players like Shamim Hossain and Afif Hossain at six and seven in the batting order in recent months but both failed to cement their spot.
Shamim played four ODIs so far and got the nod in the recently concluded Asia Cup but failed to make a mark, only accumulating 33 runs in his four trips to the crease.
Afif boasts plenty of experience in 50-over cricket as he has played 30 matches thus far but he too was unable to score big in his last five innings, totaling just 44 runs.
And so, after Saturday’s game, it looks like the team management might go for Mahmudullah in the World Cup, considering his vast experience.
But even if Mahmudullah is picked, his place in the playing XI will not be a foregone conclusion.
The Tigers’ batting line-up looks settled in recent months.
Opening pair could be Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das, then Nazmul Hossain Shanto at one drop, Towhid Hridoy at No 4, skipper Shakib al Hasan at five, Mushfiqur Rahim at six, all-rounder Mehedi Hasan Miraz at seven, and then if Bangladesh pick a specialist spinner it could be Nasum Ahmed at eight, and the remaining three spots are for pacers in the form of Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud and Mustafizur Rahman.
Among the remaining four spots of the World Cup party, an extra pacer will surely be added and in that case, Shoriful Islam is the frontrunner owing to his recent form.
As an all-rounder, Mahedi Hasan is playing well and likely to be added to the squad as well.
For the other two spots, if Bangladesh include Mahmudullah as a middle-order batsman then the selection panel has to name either a back-up opener or a fifth pacer and that decision could prove to be tricky.
Tanzid Hasan Tamim is an option as a back-up opener as Soumya looks out of the race already and as for the fifth pacer, Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Khaled Ahmed are in contention.
The Tigers’ first official warm-up game is scheduled to be held this Friday against Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh team will fly off to Guwahati Wednesday for their warm-up games, the second of which is slated for Monday against England.
The squad announcement will come officially within the next 48 hours and all the speculation will be put to bed with regards to who will fill the remaining two or three spots that the Tigers team management has been exploring in recent months.
