Tigers’ pace race heating up

The pace bowling department has always been one of the weaker suits of Bangladesh's cricketing arsenal, with the fast men generally struggling to make a mark at home or abroad.

Pace bowlers are also more susceptible to injuries and that also makes it harder for them to sustain improvement over the long term, but things seem to be changing.

In October this year, Bangladesh head coach Russell Domingo informed that he is looking to develop a good group of seven to eight fast bowlers who can play all formats and perform both home and abroad.

Over the past two months, through competitions like the BCB President's Cup and the ongoing Bangabandhu T20 Cup, there has been reason for Domingo to be pleased as a few young and talented pacers have been competing alongside national seamers like Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Al-Amin Hossain, Abu Jayed, Ebadat Hossain, Abu Hider and Mohammad Saifuddin.

Eight of the top 10 wicket-takers in the BCB President's eight were fast bowlers, with Saifuddin leading with 12 wickets in four games.

The trend continued in the Bangabandhu T20 Cup. The pacers are dominating the wicket-takers' list and making a huge impact behind their teams' successes.

There have been quite a few young seamers emerging from various sources such as the age-level, high-performance and also from the domestic circuit, creating healthy competition in the fast-bowling department.

The likes of Khulna's Shohidul Islam and Rajshahi's Mukidul Islam are among the top performers in the ongoing tournament, bagging eleven wickets each. The list of up-and-coming pacers goes on with Sumon Khan, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Mehedi Hasan Rana, and Shafiqul Islam are also in the reckoning for national places.

The emergence of such young talents however will keep the likes of Mustafizur, Taskin, and Abu Jayed on their toes to perform and lift their standards.

Mustafizur, to the relief of national selectors, has been doing just that as he returned to his groove after being sub-par in recent times. The left-arm seamer has looked in good shape and regained some of his accuracy, which makes his famed cutters all the more lethal. The Fizz has showed his class in the ongoing Bangabandhu T20 Cup and is the highest wicket-taker so far with 13 in five games.

Another highly-rated seamer, Taskin, also impressed as the pacer has been generating good pace and more importantly, he is now more consistent with his line and length.

Meanwhile, among all the young and aspiring seamers, a big test awaits for a wily old fox in former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, who is all set to play for Gemcon Khulna after recovering from a hamstring injury.

The Tigers' highest ODI wicket-taker, Mashrafe has been gearing up for a comeback to competitive cricket since he quit the captaincy in March this year.

It will be a different battle for the 37-year-old this time around as Mashrafe will have to prove his worth as a pace bowler, without the added value of captaincy, to be an attractive option for national selection in the upcoming West Indies series in January.