Shakib likely to bat at No. 4, says national selector

Bangladesh T20I skipper Shakib Al Hasan is ready to give up his favourite batting position - number three - as per the demands of the team. Bangladesh is still figuring out the batting order for the T20 format, with the T20I tri-series in New Zealand, also involving Pakistan, being their last international assignment before the T20 World Cup in Australia.

Shakib, who will be making a comeback to the side after missing the two-match series against the UAE due to his CPL commitments, might bat at No. 4. Soumya Sarkar or Nazmul Hossain could replace make-shift opener Sabbir Rahman or come in at three if Litton Das goes back to his usual opening spot. Meanwhile, the team management is impressed with Mehidy Hasan at the top and would like to carry on with him as one of the openers while Afif Hossain is expected to bat at five with Yasir Ali, Mossadek Hossain and Nurul Hasan to follow in the batting order.

Shakib has played 40 matches at number three, making 1034 runs at an average of 28.72 and a strike-rate of 122.36. Since his return after the ban, the left-hander has played 25 matches, scoring 478 at a strike-rate of 111.68 with only one fifty to his name. At number four Shakib recently scored a half-century in the CPL and the team management feels he is best suited there as it will allow him to guide the middle-order and let Litton or anyone else do the job at three.

"We are discussing it (whether he will bat at three or not). In the CPL he batted at four and played well. I think on Australian wickets he will make necessary adjustment (even if he is moved to four)," Habibul Bashar, member of the selection panel, told Cricbuzz. "It's not like he (Shakib) is very rigid as far as his batting order is concerned. He is very flexible and he doesn't have any problem batting at three or four when we spoke with him about his place in the batting order.

"The biggest thing is that Shakib is open-minded about batting anywhere. A lot of people think that he won't bat anywhere apart from three but the fact is he does not carry such mindset. He is happy to bat anywhere and being the captain he is seeing everything in a different perspective and looks like he is more than happy to do anything that is good for the team. In Australia I feel he will bat at four while someone else will bat at three. I think our five, six and seven are fixed," Bashar said.

Bashar also said Shakib's performances in the recent past have dipped a bit because he has been under pressure to accelerate the scoring at No. 3, which has led to his dismissals. "When he is batting at number three he is always attacking as he is taking the pressure of the runs and at times he is getting out trying to go after runs."

Bangladesh will begin their tri-nation series campaign against Pakistan on October 7.

Source: Cricbuzz