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Balanced Khulna gear up for big challenge


By BSS
Published : 03 Jan 2023 08:35 PM

Tamim Iqbal is one of the biggest stars of Bangladesh and also has some envious record in Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) history.

He will be the person to motivate Khulna Tigers to come all guns blazing in the tournament this season.

Tamim Iqbal has already retired from international T20. However, he is very involved in T20 cricket in domestic circuit.

 Bangladesh's one-day captain, who played in Dhaka's franchise last season, will manage Khulna's team this time. Khulna Tigers are not crowded with T20 national team stars but their squad is quite balanced.

In addition to Tamim, Khulna has recruited Sri Lankan Avishka Fernando, Pakistan's WahabRiaz, Naseem Shah and Azam Khan on direct contracts. They will not get Naseem at the beginning of the tournament.

The rest will be from the beginning. Meanwhile, there is doubt about WahabRiaz's form. The 37-year-old pacer has long since passed his prime in Pakistan. However, as he is familiar with the Bangladesh wicket, Khulna can trust him to deliver in crucial matches. Naseem can definitely be the team's trump card. But the biggest question is: can he be successful in the Mirpur pitch? Mirpur's slow pitch indeed never favours the pace bowler with raw pace.

Avishka and Azam can be the backbone of Khulna's batting. Left-hander Avishka is likely to open the innings with Tamim. Pakistani Azam is quite capable of pummeling the bowling line up with aggressive batting. MunimShahriar is in Khulna also to open the innings. This right-hander, who shined in Fortune Barisal in the last BPL, is quite effective in the domestic cricket.

Yasir Ali Chowdhury is Khulna's biggest hope in the middle order. There is also Sabbir Rahman. ButYasir will have more responsibility. Even if he plays as an opener, Khulna can use Mahmudul Hasan Joy in the middle order. Khulna has roped in Sri Lankan captain DasunShanaka from the players' draft. He can make a big impact in the tournament. In addition to aggressive batting in the middle order, he can also bowl medium pace.

Pace bowling all-rounder Mohammad Saifuddin can be quite effective for Khulna. Saifuddin's bowling is always effective in Mirpur's slow pitch. He can also contribute at lower down the batting order. The same can be said about Nasum Ahmed who will head the spin department. This spinner of the national team is a master of Mirpur pitch and he also can be effective in Chattogram and Sylhet. He is expert in stemming the run flow during the powerplay.

Khaled Mahmud Sujan will play a major role in deciding the strategy of the team, this influential cricket personality who coached Barisal last season is now in Khulna. Khulna Tigers' BPL will begin with a match against Dhaka Dominators at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on January 7.