Bangladesh may have the stalwarts like Mashrafe, Shakib, Tamim, Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah in their ranks, but it is a common apprehension within the country’s cricket fraternity whether their vacuum could be filled properly when they eventually leave.
No doubt Bangladesh already boast in some promising young talents in the likes of Liton Das, Mustafizur Rahman, Mohammad Mithun and Nazmul Hossain Shanto, while they also have Mehedi Hasan Miraz, who is considered as Bangladesh’s next long term captain.
Still Nazmul Abedeen – the mentor of Shakib, Tamim and Mushfiqur – the Tigers do not have enough players to match a squad of 11 international quality players alongside the Fantastic Five.
“We might get one or two international quality players once a year, so in five years we might replace four to five players who will be international standard. We can see a glimpse of that in Miraz and Mustafizur. At the moment we don’t have 11 international quality players as a majority of the youngsters had the goal of becoming a national player rather an international player,” he said.
According to Abedeen, it is also equally important for the likes of Liton, Mithun and Mustafizur to believe in their games so that they can hold onto their talents and flourish further in the future.
“The transition period of Shakib, Tamim and others were different from the current set of players. The current players are facing big challenges like having to become champions in the Asia Cup – that was not the case previously.
“Suppose if Shakib does not play three games, he will return and still be comfortable, but if Liton does not play three games he will be confused as everyone will start talking about his negatives. So those who are mature know how to handle such pressure. It’s our environment which does not allow them to mature,” he added.
