Tigers’ number 7 problem

The ODI World Cup this year is only months away and Bangladesh still have a big problem in their hands – their number seven spot.

While the remainder of the batting order has been pretty set, especially since Towhid Hridoy burst into the scene and cemented his place with some great performances, the number seven continues to be a copious problem for the Tigers.

Currently, they have employed Mehidy Hasan Miraz in that role, and while the all-rounder is a capable batter, his ability with the bat does not suit the slot, which requires a more destructive batter, who can bat at a high tempo in pressure situations.

Since the start of 2021, Bangladesh have used six batters at number seven – Afif Hossain, Miraz, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Soumya Sarkar, Shak Mahedi Hasan, and Nurul Hasan Sohan.

Among them, Afif had been the first choice for a long period until the Ireland series in March.

The left-handed batter has played 15 innings in that position, scoring 372 runs at an average of 31 and a strike rate of 85.51. However, his two best innings, 93* against Afghanistan and 72 against South Africa, have come when he could bat for a longer period instead of a short burst.

Although the bigger problem for Afif has been his recent drop in form. Since his 72 against South Africa, he has only scored 61 runs in six innings, which saw him lose his place.

However, the 23-year-old has shown good form in the recently-concluded Dhaka Premier League, where he scored 550 runs in 13 innings, averaging 55 with a strike rate of 110.66. His runs include a century and four fifties but the problem is that he scored all those runs playing in the middle order, not number seven.

Yasir played a couple of innings at the role but that is neither enough nor he did too well to guarantee a spot.

The latest player who has been playing there is Miraz, and despite scoring some runs there, it does not seem ideal for the batter.

After playing eight innings at number seven, Miraz has scored 119 runs at an average of 14.87, with a strike rate of 80.40.

“We have a few players who can do the job at number seven. One is Miraz. It is a very interesting place. Sometimes you need ten runs to win coming into bat at number seven. Sometimes we are five down for not much. He has to build the innings. Miraz has done this really well lately. I don’t have any problem with that at the moment,” Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe said during the recent Ireland series in England when asked about the number seven spot.

He added about Miraz, “He is a genuine batter with a Test and an ODI century. We can treat him as a genuine allrounder.”

Bangladesh have historically struggled to find a hard-hitting batter at number seven but with a good fast-bowling unit and a solid batting lineup, they have a good chance in the upcoming World Cup and that may get ruined without a proper number seven.

The Tigers will have the Afghanistan series in July to fill this hole, whether Afif will make a comeback to the side or the management will continue with Miraz is a question that needs answering. Or someone new, such as Shamim Hossain, takes the place is also to be seen.

Whichever it is, the bigger question remains where Bangladesh will find the ideal number seven. And if they do not, what do they do?