Bangladesh lost the three-match T20I series to New Zealand (3-0) after losing the third match by a massive 65-run margin at Eden Park in Auckland on Thursday (April 1). Three senior players of the team Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, and Mushfiqur Rahim didn't take part in the series for separate reasons. Team tigers had struggled against the Blackcaps because of their absence but the rest of the players should have done better during the contest. There was high hope from the young players but we had seen nothing remarkable from them. Here is the performance report card of Bangladeshi players.
Bangladeshplayers’performance breakdown against New Zealand T20I series 2021
Batting/Top orders
Bangladesh only had one half-century in the series. As per these stats, the batting performance of the Bangladesh team in the contest was disappointing.
Soumya Sarkar
The left-handed batsman Soumya Sarkar scored Bangladesh's only half-century in the series. Hitting 3 sixes, Soumya played a lethal innings of 51 runs from 27 balls in the second match in Napier. But he failed to score big in the rest of the two matches. In three matches, Soumya Sarkar scored 66 runs at a strike rate of 178.37.
Mohammad Naim
Prospective opener Mohammad Naim scored the highest 84 runs with a strike rate of 127.27 for Bangladesh in this series. Naim was unable to prolong his innings despite having a great start in each match. His best 38 runs in the series came in the second match. Soumya and Naim put on an 81-run partnership for the second wicket in that match. Mohammad Naim would need to develop the mindset of playing big innings if he wants to secure his place in the Bangladesh team.
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Liton Das
Liton Das, who led Bangladesh in the third match, failed with the bat throughout the tour. He only scored 10 runs at a strike rate of 90 in the T20 series. Liton has yet to master the art of batting technique on New Zealand's bouncy wicket despite having played in the international arena for 6-7 years. Liton will have to show more consistency in the future if he wants to prolong his international career.
Najmul Hossain Shanto
Injured Mahmudullah Riyad was replaced by Najmul Hossain Shanto in the third match. But the left-arm batsman could not take advantage, he only scored 8 runs in that match. Nazmul continues to struggle despite getting multiple chances. Someone else will take his place in the national team if he does not demonstrate his talent properly. So, Shanto will have to show more promise if he gets another chance in the national team set up.
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Batting/Middle-Order
Mahmudullah Riyad
Mahmudullah Riyadh is the only Bangladeshi senior player who took part in the series. Though he could not play the last match due to injury. Like other Bangladeshi batsmen, he also failed miserably in this series. Bangladesh's T20 captain only scored 32 runs in the first two matches. He scored his personal best 21 runs in the second match of the series.
Mohammad Mithun
Mohammad Mithun was completely lackluster in the T20 series despite batting well in the ODI series. Bangladesh team management expected good performance from him. The selectors were frustrated with his performance. Mithun only managed to score 5 runs in two matches.
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Afif Hossain
The promising young batsman Afif Hossain scored the third-highest 55 runs in the series for Bangladesh. In which, 45 runs from 33 balls came from the first match. Afif had a strike rate of 126.90 in the series. The left-handed Afif Hossain is becoming an important player in Bangladesh's T20 format setup.
Mosaddek Hossain, MahediHasan, and Mohammad Saifuddin
Among other batsmen, Mosaddek Hossain scored 13 runs in one match, Mahadi Hasan 12 runs in three matches, and Mohammad Saifuddin 36 runs in two matches. Saifuddin played an effective innings of 34 runs in the first match.
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Bowling/Pace
Bangladeshi bowlers were unable to stop New Zealand batsmen from scoring runs in all three matches. The bowlers had given up a lot of runs during the series. As a result, Bangladesh had no notable performances in this series.
Taskin Ahmed
In this series, Taskin Ahmed was the most effective Bangladeshi fast bowler. In two matches, he picked up the most two wickets. However, with an economic rate of 12.51, he was the most expensive bowler in the series. If Taskin is to reclaim his place in the Bangladesh team, he must become more productive.
Shoriful Islam
Young left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam snatched two wickets in the series. However, he was less expensive than Taskin. His economy rate in the series was 9.66. Everyone expects Shoriful will be a regular member of the future Bangladesh national side pace attack.
Mohammad Saifuddin
Mohammad Saifuddin has yet to fully regain his rhythm since recovering from his injury. Saifuddin took part in two matches in the T20 series and snatched only 1 wicket. However, with an economy rate of 11.14, he gave up 78 runs in 7 overs.
Mustafizur Rahman and Rubel Hossain
Bangladesh's two best fast bowlers Mustafizur Rahman and Rubel Hossain failed to pick up any wickets in the series. They each played one match. Furthermore, they gave away a lot of runs.
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Bowling/Spin
MahediHasan
Spinner MahediHasan was the most successful Bangladeshi bowler in this series. He took the highest 4 wickets in 3 matches. However, the opposition batters picked up a lot of runs from his ball. His bowling economy in this series was 11.60.
Nasum Ahmed
Among the Bangladeshi bowlers, newcomer Nasum Ahmed was the least expensive. He took a total of 2 wickets in 3 matches at a 6.40 economy rate. Nasum was able to grab the attention of the selectors straight away.
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Fielding
While fielding, Bangladesh had given up too many runs. They dropped catches and showed poor performance on the field.In a nutshell, Bangladeshi players lacked the motivation to put extra effort on the field.
Bottom Line
As per the report card of Bangladeshi players, none of the cricketers had significant improvement in the series. They should have performed better as a team in this contest to boost their confidence for the future. Bangladesh team has a strong chance of performing well in the next T20 world cup in India. As a result, the selectors should focus on building a strong T20 squad for the tournament.
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