Shamim gets going after Litton’s show of ‘trust’

Shamim Hossain struck a career-best 81 off 43 balls not out while playing a lone hand for Dhaka Capitals against Sylhet Titans in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) in Sylhet today, nearly pulling off a win. Dhaka eventually fell short by six runs, but Shamim's innings underlined his value in the lower middle order and explained why captain Litton Das had backed him and even confronted selectors over his exclusion from the Ireland series in November-December last year.

Bangladesh's middle-order batters such as Shamim, Tawhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, and Nurul Hasan Sohan are capable of playing the finisher's role, but they have struggled for form of late.

Shamim did not get to bat in the final T20I against Ireland despite being included in the squad. His previous six T20I innings saw three ducks and two scores of one. With the T20 World Cup approaching, BPL performances could prove decisive in determining the final squad, and Shamim's career-best effort must give the team management something to ponder.

His last-over assault highlighted his T20 credentials, with bat speed and a flair for the unconventional proving decisive against Mohammad Amir, a renowned death-overs bowler. Chasing 27 off the final over, Shamim flicked the first ball over middle and off to fine leg for four. After two wides, he reverse-scooped a delivery well outside off-stump over third man for six. Amir then missed his yorker by a small margin, and Shamim went down to smash it through mid-on. An edge off the penultimate ball flew away for another boundary before Amir finally nailed the yorker, leaving Shamim unable to add to his tally.

The acceleration in Shamim's innings was telling. With wickets falling around him, he was 37 off 27 balls at one stage. He then plundered 54 runs off his next 17 deliveries.

"Obviously, when you lose a game, there is always regret, but I had faith that as long as I stay there, I will keep believing in myself," Shamim said in the post-match presser.

On overcoming a difficult period, he credited T20I captain Litton for showing faith in him.

"Regarding the national team, I have to thank Litton da for placing his trust in me because I have played match-winning knocks before. A player can have two or three bad games, but if someone backs you and supports you, you can make a comeback easily," he said, adding that his focus was on performing well in the BPL to prepare for next month's T20 World Cup.

While he admitted that Amir's final delivery was "extraordinary", Shamim will hope to build on yesterday's knock to strengthen his case as the kind of middle-order batter Bangladesh have been searching for.