‘Mashrafe could have been a much better batsman’ - BCB development manager
Mashrafe has shown glimpses of his batting brilliance sparsely
|| Desk Report ||
Bangladesh women’s development manager Nazmul Abedin Fahim has expressed his regret at Mashrafe Mortaza not developing into a better batsman than he should have been.
Recently, the ODI captain of the Tigers promoted himself to number six and smashed a match-defining 36 runs from 25 balls in the last ODI against West Indies. The visitors won the game by 18 runs in the end and it was the captain’s late blast that helped Bangladesh put a score in excess of 300.
While Mashrafe was always hyped us a bowler when he was a youngster, his batting did induce an aura that made people believe that he could be a decent bowling all-rounder.
However, according to Nazmul Abedin Fahim, the pacer couldn’t hit the heights with his batting in accordance to the potential that he possessed.
‘Mashrafe could have been a much better batsman than what he showed us with the bat. We didn’t give him the opportunities [to do so] and perhaps even he lost the self-belief as a result. He thinks about himself as a bowler first and foremost, and secondly, he thinks about himself as a bowler again.
‘He thought very little about batting, he had a lot of potential with the bat.’
Nazmul Abedin believes that the role of a number 7 suits the Tiger perfectly since he has the ‘madness’ necessary but also cautioned that he needs more practice if he is to make that position his own because there are times when the lower-middle-order batsmen have to anchor the innings after a poor start.
‘The ones who play in this position [the number 7] tend to make runs quickly and will play aggressively instead of focusing on personal averages. The mentality is fully different, this is the madness that is necessary.
‘A proper can’t play such an innings [like the one Mashrafe played against West Indies] because they think a lot while playing, which in turn would result into the strike going down. The difference that he made at the end of the innings would not have been made.
‘Now someone who bats there needs consistency and whether he [Mashrafe] has that is the big question since the situation doesn’t always demand a number 7 batsman to go out there play his shots. Sometimes, the number 7 has to play according to the situation of the match.
‘This is why a long-term plan is needed and it should be planned from now itself via net practice or matches. He has to be prepared for every situation, it won’t happen suddenly.’
The former T20I captain has shown glimpses of his batting brilliance over the course of his career. During the 2016 Asia Cup match against Pakistan, he promoted himself to 7 and smashed 12 runs from only 7 balls.
In the same year, he ripped the English bowling to shreds by smacking 44 runs from 29 balls to help Bangladesh ultimately win by 34 runs in the game. Given that Bangladesh are yet to find a stable lower-middle-order, Mashrafe could channel his inner batsman and push himself to number 7.
While it might be a late juncture in his career, it is a move with very little to lose – especially if Mashrafe goes on to polish his raw talent of batting.
