Shamim Hossain on his mundane and mercurial style of play as he starred for Bangladesh with his big hits and sharp fielding.
Shamim Hossain is performing in Sri Lanka in ways that are uncommon for cricket players from Bangladesh. He frequently clears the rope and establishes boundaries early in his innings. Both in the deep and inside the 30-yard circle, he is making fantastic receptions. His worst skill, bowling, has also been accurate. He produced a direct-hit run out from a tight angle on Sunday, one of the rarest dismissals ever made by a bowler from Bangladesh.
Kusal Mendis missed his crease by a wide margin as Shamim swooped in from point and hit the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Surprisingly, Kusal saw Shamim racing in and slowed down. Kusal would have been forgiven for underestimating Shamim, who finished his century with deft fielding, considering Bangladesh’s dismal record with direct hits.
Jos Buttler was removed by Mehidy Hasan Miraz more than two years ago, marking Bangladesh’s most recent direct-hit run-out. Fielding has been a big issue for Bangladesh ever since, and even before then. They continue to have a high drop-to-catch rate. Though less scrutinised, their strategy for running out of opportunities is just as worrisome.
Shamim’s 27-ball 48 earlier that day had given Bangladesh a significant lifeline. Together with Litton Das, who also found his form again in white-ball cricket, he scored 77 runs for the fifth wicket. Bangladesh reached 177 for 7 in 20 overs thanks to Shamim’s big-hitting at the end, and they scored 76 runs in the last six overs. Dambulla’s average first-inning total over the previous five night T20Is at the venue was 22 runs higher. In the end, Bangladesh prevailed by 83 runs, which is their second-largest T20I victory margin.
“Whenever I go out to bat, my plan is to stay positive,” Shamim said after the match. “Someone has to take risks, and I want to take that responsibility for the team. This was an important win for us.”
As Bangladesh dominated Sri Lanka in the powerplay, Shamim added a wonderful catch in the second innings to go along with his runs in the first. Despite his desire to lead his squad, Shamim understands that it begins with mastering the fundamentals.
“I think fielding is very important,” he said. “I can’t say I’m overly happy [with the run-out] because it’s my job, something I have to do every day.”
Bangladesh has an opportunity to win in Colombo on Wednesday and wrap up the T20I series. Once more, they will be counting on their players to make significant contributions. Shamim’s ability to combine his unpredictable antics with the fundamentals—common for other teams, but uncommon for a Bangladeshi—will make him particularly important.