The number eight conundrum

True to captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza's words, the first two T20Is in Khulna witnessed a number of different tactics applied by the Tigers.

Shakib Al Hasan was asked to bat lower down in the order and the powerful Sabbir Rahman replaced the left-hander at three, Nurul Hasan took over the wicketkeeping gloves from Mushfiqur Rahim while Shuvagata Hom's role in the team was tested as a bowling all-rounder.

While these three moves worked out well, the idea to field a bowling all-rounder who can bat at number eight seems a bit defensive. Furthermore, it may disrupt the balance of the side.

There could be many reasons behind employing an eighth batsman. For starters, it may help the top order play with a lot more freedom. After all, Bangladesh's batting in this format has not exactly been ideal, with players failing to make the most of their starts.

Secondly, it could prove to be a good cover for the last two batsmen, Al-Amin Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman, neither of whom can be trusted with the bat.

As a result, the team management seems to be looking for a player who fits the role. More specifically, they seem to be looking for a bowler who can give the ball quite a whack, which was perhaps the reason why Shuvagata was drafted into the side for the first two matches.

While he did bat at four in the first T20I, it was only because he didn't get a chance to bowl and Mashrafe later revealed that he wanted to give Shuvagata some extra batting time. The off-spinner did not get to bat in the second T20I, but did manage to get his maiden T20I wicket.

The selectors included Muktar Ali and Mosaddek Hossain for the last two T20Is, and it is likely that both these players will be asked to play a similar role to that of Shuvagata.

A pace bowler who can hit the ball quite hard, Muktar has a reputation similar to that of Ziaur Rahman in domestic cricket. Mosaddek Hossain on the other hand is a middle order batsman who can bowl decent off-spinners as well.

While he did not do well in the recently concluded Bangladesh Premier League, he mesmerised quite a few people in four-day cricket, scoring a string of centuries.

As the experiments continue, one wonders if the move to have a bowling all-rounder instead of a regular bowler at number eight will be worth it. It could place a lot more pressure on the bowling. 

The other option could be including another bowler in the side and letting Mashrafe Bin Mortaza bat at eight. The skipper did score a match-winning half-century in the BPL and has been having longer net sessions with bat in hand. Another pacer in the side, say an Abu Hider or a Mohammad Shahid, could actually help the Tigers form a stronger bowling unit.

But of course, the confidence to go down that route can only be attained once the top-order batsmen start playing bigger knocks, something that we are yet to see in this series.