Simmons backs settled opening pair despite Saif’s lean patch

Phil Simmons appeared reluctant to consider changes to Bangladesh’s opening combination for the upcoming three-match ODI series against New Zealand, despite the recent struggles of Saif Hasan.

Terming the opening pair as “settled,” Simmons noted that the duo had provided solid starts in previous matches, an important factor behind the team’s success.

Speaking to reporters, Simmons expressed confidence in Saif’s ability to return to form, pointing to his impressive knock in a recent internal practice match.

“I think we’ve sort of settled because we’ve had a good partnership in the last series, and then in the warm-up game here, Saif showed that he’s getting back to what we expect him to be. So I think we’re settled for now,” Simmons said on Wednesday.

While Saif’s form has been a concern, Tanzid Hasan Tamim has been in exceptional touch. His performances were pivotal in Bangladesh’s 2-1 ODI series victory over Pakistan in February.

Tamim scored a fluent 67 in the first ODI and followed it up with his maiden century, scoring 107 in the series decider to seal the series in style.

In contrast, Saif managed just 4, 12, and 36 in his three innings against Pakistan. However, the right-hander recently smashed 138 off 133 balls in a practice game, suggesting he may be ready to overcome his slump.

Despite backing Saif, Simmons all but ruled out an immediate return for Soumya Sarkar, who had scored a match-winning 91 against

West Indies last October.
Simmons explained that Soumya’s lack of consistent game time worked against him, while others capitalised on their opportunities.
“My thoughts are still the same. Soumya is excellent. He played well against West Indies, as you said. We had to make that choice,” he said.

“He missed a lot of cricket between the West Indies series, during the BPL, and leading up to the BCL. So we had to make that decision and, unfortunately for him, the others did well. So he has to keep pushing to get back in.”
The Bangladesh coach also raised concerns about middle-order batters not playing in their designated roles in domestic cricket.
Players like Afif Hossain, Liton Das, Mahidul Islam Ankon, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz often bat higher up the order domestically, making role adjustment at international level a challenge.
“Well, it seems like all our batsmen bat in the top order in domestic cricket. It’s the same for Miraz, it’s the same for Ankon-everyone seems to bat up the order,” Simmons said.
“But when they come here, they have to fit into different roles. So far, the players have been trying very hard to adapt to those positions. I think that’s one of the key aspects of international cricket-you have to adjust to what is required, not necessarily what you’re used to in domestic cricket,” he added.
Despite back-to-back series wins over West Indies and Pakistan at home, Simmons believes there is still room for improvement across all departments.
“We have room to improve in every aspect of our game, especially in batting. There’s a lot of scope for improvement from the top order through to, as you mentioned, numbers five, six, seven and eight. We are continuously working to make sure we improve,” he said.
Highlighting progress in the death overs, Simmons added:
“That particular phase you’re referring to-the last 10 overs-we’ve actually been doing well.Against Pakistan, in the last game, we scored around 80 runs in the final 10 overs. So we are making progress in that area.”