Bashar amazed with pace and height of HP young pacers
Image : Collected
|| CF Correspondent ||
Former Bangladesh skipper and current national selector Habibul Bashar Sumon excited with the potential of the High-Performance (HP) Unit’s young pacers, stating that he believes the future speedster for the national team will come from them.
Bangladesh team saw a significant improvement in their fast bowling department by the time of the 2015 ICC World Cup but they failed to continue that upliftment.
While once pace spearhead Mashrafee Bin Mortaza has reached in the autumn of his playing career and other pacers like Rubel Hossain and Shafiul Islam are entering on their 30s, the main concern for the selectors is to invent some young prospective pacers in the groove to fill their shoes after their departure.
But it’s a matter of regret that they have a few pacers under their radar this time around.
It’s a ray of hopes that Bashar got to see some lights in the HP squad. Expressing his high expectation about some of the upcoming pacers, Bashar said they possess satisfactory pace as well as good height.
“Actually, I’m pretty excited about some of the young pace bowlers, who are part of our High Performance squad,” Habibul Bashar Sumon said.
“You’ve seen Shoriful [Islam] in the Under-19 team but before that he was part of our HP team. Mukidul Islam Mugdho is another genuine prospect. I’m very hopeful about Mahmudul Hasan; he is a very quick bowler,” Sumon told an English daily on Wednesday.
“The most exciting feature of this batch is there are some really tall guys. In fast bowling, height matters. When we go abroad, our pacers fail to extract bounce from the wicket due to their short height, but there are some tall boys in this group,” he added.
HP head bowling coach and former Sri Lankan pacer Champaka Ramanayeke is taking care of these pacers whose work was praised by the selectors and the board as well. The BCB was supposed to hand over the responsibility of the HP on Chapaka’s shoulder this year. But it’s yet to start its activities due to the lengthy effect of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Champaka is doing really well with these boys. Some of them are still young at age, 17, 18 or 19. We hope that in the coming one or two years, we can have a pool of good pacers,” the selector said.
Speaking highly about Hasan Mahmud who made his international debut in a Twenty t20I against Zimbabwe in March, Bashar said that he has a great potential in him if he can harvest that he might be able to be a big asset for the team up ahead. Bashar also named Mukidul and Shoriful as promising fast bowling prospects.
“Hasan Mahmud could be the next speedster. He is a smart boy, got genuine pace. If he doesn’t suffer any injury, keeps his head cool he can be a really big asset,” Bashar said.
“Mukidul is promising; he bowls fast and could bowl faster with proper guidance. We have seen Shoriful in the U-19 World Cup. He was part of our HP team. They all have good prospects, but they have to climb up the ladder with hard work,” he added.
However, Bashar informed that the current national team fast bowling coach Ottis Gibson is also keeping a close eye on the young pacers of the HP team.
“When the national team practices here in Mirpur, we ask the HP unit bowlers to bowl in the nets. There Ottis observes them, passes the necessary instructions to the HP coaches. We have developed a good system so that we can have some good pacers in the pipeline,” former skipper concluded.
