Afif exposing BCB’s bitter truth

Afif Hossain has been one of the most fortuitous cricketers in the national fold since his debut in February 2018.

With 69 T20Is, 31 ODIs, and more than six years of international cricket under his belt, the left-handed batter has always managed to dodge his way past the arrows of deserved criticism for his inability to make a difference for Bangladesh.

Barring a few knocks here and there, the 24-year-old has very little to show for in national colours and one would have to sit down for hours to decipher the merit of his selection, even as a reserve, in Bangladesh's squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies next month.

Afif's selection underlines the dire situation in Bangladesh's available resources. Whether the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) would agree or not, allocating a reserve spot for Afif in the T20 World Cup squad highlights the fragile nature of Bangladesh's pipeline. In fact, it clearly shows a dearth in the emergence of quality players, proving the notion that the national team pipeline is indeed running dry.

Does it not show that the team management has had to bank on players living up to their "potential", largely due to the dearth in the pipeline, while selecting players for a major event instead of following the usual practice of calling up players on the back of their performances on the field?

Exhibit A in this regard is Afif who has played two T20 World Cups (2021 and 2022) and as many Asia Cups (2022 and 2023). In Bangladesh's disastrous run in the 2021 T20 World Cup, he scored 54 runs in eight matches and managed 95 in five games in the major event a year later. In the 2022 Asia Cup, the left-handed batter scored 51 in two matches and registered 16 in as many games in the following edition.

To add to this abysmal run, he rarely could justify his selection with performances in domestic competitions -- be it the Dhaka Premier League or the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

Such is the state of the resources in the player pool of Bangladesh, it never strikes as a surprising move to see Afif in and around the squad or to be in contention for a spot come tournament time.

Ideally, there seem to be two things wrong with his selection into the T20 World Cup squad. Firstly, his role is yet to be ascertained. Whether the team management looked to reinforce the top order or boost depth in the middle order with Afif's inclusion is still a question.

However, one fact that can be derived from his frequent selections is that he is thought to be one of the best options, at least amongst the players on the fringes of the playing eleven. This has, for the most part, worked in favour of Afif as the selectors, time and time again, have gone back to him ahead of major events.

Afif holds the record for playing the most number of consecutive T20Is for Bangladesh without being dropped. Since his T20I debut in February 2018, he played 61 matches in the shortest format before being left out for the Tigers' home series against England in March 2023. Out of the 99 T20Is Bangladesh have played since his debut, Afif featured in 69.

Despite all these opportunities, all that Afif has to show for are two match-winning fifties against Zimbabwe and the West Indies and a career-best of 77 against the UAE in T20Is. In ODIs, his highlight reel would include a 93 not out against Afghanistan and an unbeaten 85 against Zimbabwe.

However, it must be pointed out that Afif's underwhelming display for Bangladesh is not entirely of his own making. The left-handed batter is often thought to be a stylish and elegant stroke-maker who seems comfortable taking on the new ball. He, indeed, prefers to punch the ball rather than exercise muscle and is keen to play in straight lines.

Afif played a key role at the top of the order in the 2019-20 season of the BPL when his side Rajshahi Royals won the title. Afif opened with Liton Das and managed to score 370 runs at a strike rate of 131.20. But to his misfortune, the national team management has always been keen to take away from his strength and play him as a finisher -- a role he has never been able to come to terms with. He averages below 20 while batting at five and six for the national team at strike rates of 126.68 and 111.27, respectively.

But on the broader picture, the fact that the management had to go back to Afif, even as a reserve, brings the ugly picture of an underproducing pipeline to the fore.