Ankon: The new middle-order solution?

Batting crises have long been a recurring feature for Bangladesh, and the attempts to manage them often appear tentative -- driven more by hope than by evidence-backed planning.

With less than three months before the T20 World Cup, top teams have already settled their combinations. Bangladesh, meanwhile, are still searching for answers to a recent concern in the shortest format: the instability in the middle order.

Mahidul Islam Ankon has emerged as the newest attempt at a solution -- or at least a hopeful patch. The wicketkeeper-batter earned his maiden T20I call-up for the upcoming three-match series against Ireland, starting Thursday in Chattogram. His inclusion comes as Bangladesh left out Shamim Hossain, signaling a direct move to reinforce the middle order.

The selectors have been eager to reshape the batting core with the World Cup approaching. Ankon's selection gained weight primarily due to his Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) performances earlier this year, where he finished among the top run-scorers with a strike rate above 170.

However, his recent form tells a different story. His highest score during the Asia Cup Rising Stars -- 27 not out against Afghanistan A -- was followed by three single-digit dismissals, including a five-ball duck in the final against Pakistan Shaheens, which Bangladesh eventually lost in a Super Over.

In that context, his T20I call-up comes at a time when his white-ball performances have not been particularly convincing. This is in contrast to his Test call-ups last year -- the second South Africa Test and the West Indies series -- when he had produced consistent outings in the domestic longer-format competitions.

"We have a few players for similar positions -- [Nurul Hasan] Sohan, Jaker [Ali] and Shamim [Hossain]," Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chairman of the selection panel Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu said when explaining Ankon's selection. "We wanted to give an opportunity, since there is not much chance available before the World Cup, to someone who can play at number four or five."

Lipu added that the selectors wanted a fair, like-for-like assessment. "In this category, BPL was the format. Ankon was impressive there last time. In that light, and considering our long-term vision, we made the consideration."

It appears the management is hoping that one of the players tested during the Asia Cup Rising Stars will translate those opportunities into stability for the national side's vulnerable batting order.

"In the West Indies series, we had Shanto and [Towhid] Hridoy out injured and learned that we need players ready," Lipu said. "In the Emerging teams, we tried three middle-order players to see how they respond to a slightly lower level than the national team. With the World Cup coming up, we can't give numerous chances, so from the prospective options we felt Ankon might occupy that position. His recent white-ball performances in the Windies ODIs were also considered."

While Bangladesh continue their T20I experiments, Ankon now has a significant opportunity to prove himself. Yet the larger concern remains unchanged: even the available options during such batting crises rarely inspire confidence -- a problem rooted far deeper than selection alone.