Before Friday’s match against Zimababwe, 19-year old youngster Afif Hossain played just one T20 match for Bangladesh one year ago. However, in that match against Sri Lanka he was out for a duck. Since that missed opportunity, Afif was determined to win a match on his own for his country if opportunity came his way. And he did not have to wait long. After a year of hard work, he single handedly ousted the Zimbabweans with his stormy 26-ball 52 which had 8 fours and 1 maximum.
His innings was so impressive and eye-catching that even Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was impressed and asked BCB President Nazmul Hasan Papon, why didn’t Afif come to bat early in the innings? She also called Afif after the match and praised him for his brilliant performance.
Bangladesh were reeling at one stage as they lost six wickets within 10 overs with only 60 runs on the board. But everything began to change with Afif showing his class by striking all around the wicket. He changed the complexion of the game and single-handedly took his team close to victory. His 52-run innings was special as his shot selection, placement and timing was fluent to say the least. Things we usually don’t see in Bangladeshi batsmen.
He played some elegant looking shots throughout his innings. Whether it was an orthodox stroke or a bit of creativeness, such as a late cut just beside the wicketkeeper or even a scoop shot, the youngster was brimming with confidence. Another thing which caught everyone’s eyes was his maturity and calmness. Even after scoring his half-century he didn’t celebrate as the match was still not won. A rather mature Afif also did not seem over exuberant despite getting a phone call from the Prime Minister.
Although it was just one match against a low quality opponent, Tigers cricket fans and players will hope consistent performance from Afif from here on. As in him, the character is there to make it to the top level. A team struggling to find depth desperately need a rise of a new Tiger. Afif can certainly fill that void if he keeps his feet on the ground and perform consistently.