Afif Hossain expressed his desire to be Bangladesh’s long term solution of No. 3, a position where the team management tried several batters including Liton Das and Shakib Al Hasan in vain in T20 International cricket, reports BSS.
Afif who batted in the middle order position, specifically in No. 4 or 5 positions for most of the time, believes his batting style would suit him more in the No.3 position. He said he took this ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) as a platform to prove his credential as a No.3 batter.
After scoring 52 runs ball-69 which helped Chattogram Challengers decimate Dhaka Dominators by eight wickets, Afif seemed to be on track to show the mettle in him.
Afif's innings was tidy. He took advantage of the circle without taking any risk in the power play and found boundaries in regular interval. He relied on his timing to deal with the pacers and he succeeded emphatically while he played spinners without any trouble.
A day ago, Chattogram coach Julian Wood talked about Afif's skills, stating that “He is a pinch hitter. Not a big hitter. His batting depends on skill.”
The impression of that word was found in his 52 ball-69 runs knock. Afif said that he is working with Julian on these issues, “Power hitting is not in my agenda, rather I worked on skill hitting. I want to hit boundaries, relying on my skill.”
In the last T20 World Cup, Afif batted in No. 5 position mostly, a position which demands quick runs from the batter. Even though this position is not his favourite, Afif didn’t give up ---He made 38 runs from 27 balls against Netherlands, 29 from 19 balls against Zimbabwe, unbeaten 24 from 20 balls against Pakistan is proof of that. Neither his innings was big one nor did his strike rate but he came out of his shell.
But Afif feels that there is more to be gained.
"Wherever I play, I try to perform and I didn’t have any headache about my batting position. But obviously there is a favorite position. I like to bat at No.3 position.”
“I always feel comfortable when I have more time. There is an opportunity to cover it later. It becomes a bit difficult for me when I need to play shots from the first balls.”
Since no one can own the No. 3 spot in the national team, Afif has no reservation to nail it. But he knows he needs to show his consistency in this spot and this BPL is the right place to do so.
"I have to do better to fulfill my wish. So, I have to perform regularly, only then I can claim.”
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
