MIRAZ IS REAL

All-rounder, who initially burst into public consciousness in 2016, has taken time to develop but comparisons with Shakib is not right, feels coach Islam

- GOMESH S

MEHIDY Hasan Miraz is not Bangladesh's next Shakib Al Hasan. The numbers say as much. After 85 ODIS, Mehidy has 1141 runs and 94 wickets. He has batted more than half his career at No. 7 or below. In comparison, Shakib had 2288 runs and 95 wickets after the same number of ODIS while largely batting at No. 4 or 5.

However, it is not a bad thing for Bangladesh. For one is a 25year-old bowler who is transforming into an all-rounder. The other is one of the best allrounders of the modern era. And the thing with Miraz is, he promises to be more. From stealing the stage at the 2016 men's U19 World Cup-he was the player of the tournament -Miraz didn't take much time to break into the senior time. In fact, from a genuine all-rounder at the age-group level, he became a front-line bowler for the national side.

Sohel Islam, who first saw Miraz at the U15 level, remembers. "When I first saw him, he was a bowler," recalls Islam. "By the time he joined U17 and U19, he was a good all-rounder, batting in the middle-order and bowling. But he graduated directly to the national team as a bowler. He was a genuine offspinner. For a long period of time, he was a bowler," says the former cricketer and coach who has worked with Miraz.