Thursday, May 02, 2024
As he continued to stun the people with his versatility in the last couple of years, Mehidy Hasan Miraz appeared to truly live up to the expectation of being another Shakib Al Hasan.
Right after his debut in the national team after being adjudged player of the series in the Under-19 World Cup in 2016, which was hosted by Bangladesh, Miraz was regularly compared to Shakib Al Hasan.
The belief was further sparked after his groundbreaking performance in his debut Test series against England in 2016. But he took little time to dent those hopes.
The inconsistency with the willow and his failure to be penetrative in overseas conditions with the cherry made sure he will be lost down to the memory lane like other players who started the career on a positive note.
But "I didn't give up," Miraz said after being adjudged man of the match for the first time in a World Cup game. "It's a great moment for me. I did a lot of hard work in the past," he added.
"The team management deserves credit," Miraz said as they gave them the opportunity to bat up in the batting order.
During the 2018 Asia Cup final, the captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza played a gamble by sending him in the opening slot and he helped the skipper win the gamble, hitting a half-century.
That was the first time, he showed what he could do if he bats up in the order but the opportunity didn't come until last year.
In the last year, he played two vital knocks in lower down the order to help Bangladesh win a series against India. Then in this year's Asia Cup, he scored a century against Afghanistan to help Bangladesh move to the Super 4s.
In two World Cup practice matches, he hit consecutive fifty-plus knocks in the middle order position which forced the team management to send him to the No 3 position in the World Cup opening game against Afghanistan today. He responded with a match-winning 57 after taking three for 25 with the bowling.
It seemed, his move to the No 3 position is a tactical move, but Miraz proved his versatility and injected the belief that he could do well for the team in any position.
"Batting position doesn't matter for me though it is always good to bat up in the batting order. But the key thing is to contribute to the team," Miraz said.
"I always enjoy batting and try to improve. Hopefully, I can keep it up," he said.
His bowling was also praiseworthy in today’s match but he said he didn't get into the groove until Shakib came up with some valuable advice.
"I gave nine runs in my first over and was out of rhythm. Luckily there was a drinks break. The captain came to me and gave me some advice as to how to bowl in this wicket. I followed the instructions," he informed.
"I always have the hungriness so definitely it's a great moment for me to perform," he said.
