Bangladesh captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto has been due runs to the team lately.
The left-handed batter has not been upto the mark with the bat and it will not be unfair if the team management expects the cricketer to break the shackles when Bangladesh take on Nepal in their last group game in the ongoing Twenty20 World Cup at Arnos Vale Stadium Monday [BST].
Bangladesh will eye a win against Nepal to secure a place in the Super 8 stage of the tournament for the first time.
And it is an opportunity for Shanto to get some runs before they meet the big opponents in the next round.
Bangladesh, in the event of qualification, will face India and Australia in Antigua and Afghanistan in the last match of the phase in Saint Vincent.
In the three games played so far in the tournament, Shanto has scored seven, 14 and one against Sri Lanka, South Africa and the Netherlands respectively and was part of regular top-order failures.
Though the southpaw on different occasions has spoken of the hard work being put in the training sessions to recover from the bad patch, it is yet to show the result.
In the last five T20 Internationals, he has a highest score of 36 against the USA in the second match of the three-game series ahead of the T20 World Cup, and it has been 12 innings since he last scored a half-century in the format.
After being handed the captaincy in all formats of the game in February this year, Shanto has been doing a fine job.
The 25-year old from Rajshahi has been handling both the internal and external pressures tactfully and was successful in minimizing controversies surrounding the dressing room.
It is fact that there is almost no discussion apart from cricket in the media outlets and among supporters regarding the Bangladesh team.
Occasions are ample, and in Shanto’s case regular, when the cricketers were hit by criticism, but there has been no incident till date when the Bangladesh skipper or any other player has lost cool.
On field, the southpaw’s decision with bowling change and field placements are often yielding results.
There is also praise for having an unconventional mindset and the biggest result so far has been Bangladesh finally finding a reliable leg-spinner in Rishad Hossain.
Shanto is known as a good motivator in the dressing room and has the ability to spread positivity.
But this cannot and will not protect him for long.
One cannot simply play as a captain in the team.
Discussion in the arena is wide that now it is about time for him to lead from the front playing a captain’s knock.
