|| CF Correspondent ||

Is Mehidy Hasan the next big thing in Bangladesh cricket? There can be lot of debates about it but going by the performance of the youngster it is quite clear that he does possess a big chance.

Bangladesh head coach Steve Rhodes often insisted during his short stint that media does not try to look beyond the big five- Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Shakib al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah and Tamim Iqbal- but there are many being overshadowed despite performing consistently.

‘’The big five gets a mention a lot. And I respect them and I think they are wonderful players. But I’m so pleased that Bangladesh possess more than the big five. You’ve only gotta look at Miraz, Mehidy and his season so far and what he’s been doing for a while now. A young fellow who’s a great all-rounder, good fielder, he can bat well and he’s a wonderful spin bowler who bowls well at any time. He plays all formats and is a great example,’’ Rhodes told reporters during the just concluded series against West Indies.

The Englishman announced it probably after watching the rise of Mehidy who is turning out to be an integral part of Tigers set-up across formats and largely due to the fact that the youngster is always ready to take the challenge.

During the Asia Cup final Mehidy came to open the innings after ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza turned to him and shouldered him the responsibility after Nazmul Hossain Shanto failed to impress as he was asked to fill the spot of Tamim Iqbal. The most dependable opener was dropped following a left knuckle fracture sustained in the first match of the Asia Cup against Sri Lanka.

Mehidy looked poised to take up the challenge with his 59-ball 32 and though his innings was  overshadowed by Liton Kumar Das’s brilliant 117-ball 121 runs, it helped Bangladesh opening pair made over 100 runs for the first time since December 2016.

In Bangladesh's 37-run victory against Pakistan in the Super Four stage of the same tournament, Mehidy's broke through, dismissing Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman in the very first over and also came on later to end a 71-run sixth-wicket stand between Imam Ul Haq and Asif Ali by removing the latter. He thereby ended with a miserly economy rate of 2.8 with figures of two for 28 though the spot light was taken by Mushfiqur Rahim for his brilliant 99 runs.

Although it is the big five who performed across formats throughout the year, Mehidy remains the only other player to have risen to the occasions at crucial times for the Tigers and remains consistent all format of the cricket

Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam finished the year as Bangladesh's top wicket-taker in Tests, scalping 43 wickets in seven matches. Amongst the new kids on the block Nayeem Hasan made a remarkable Test debut against West Indies by becoming the youngest ever to register a five-wicket haul in the format while opener Shadman Islam, another young prospect, marked his debut with a gritty 76 earlier this month.

It is too early for the likes of Nayeem and Shadman as they still have a long way to go while Taijul is currently only considered for Tests.

So Mehidy remains, by a distance, the most prolific performer of Bangladesh at this moment.

The off-spinner also recorded best bowling figure of Bangladesh in a Test match by claiming 12 wickets for 117 runs in the second Test against West Indies that had earned him the player-of-the-match award in a game that Bangladesh won by an innings and 184 runs, their biggest ever win in Test cricket. His consistency in Test cricket is proved with his 41 wickets in eight Tests that put him in second position on the wicket-takers' list for Bangladesh in 2018 behind Taijul.

While he is yet to set the world alight in T20Is, there were enough creditable performances in the format that suggest it won’t take long for him to learn the trade of the shortest format.