PUNE: 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 25-year-old bowler who is transforming into an all-rounder. The other is one of the best all-rounders 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 off-spinner. For a long period of time, he was a bowler,” says the former cricketer and coach who has worked with Miraz.
For years, Miraz was an off-spinner who would threaten to take the game away and induce a collapse, especially in home conditions. Even then, the signs were there. His accuracy with the ball made him stand out. By 2020, Miraz was becoming a bowling all-rounder, a genuine wicket-taker who can chip in with the bat. And in recent years, he has won matches for Bangladesh all by himself both at home and away.
His role in Bangladesh’s first win in South Africa (they beat Proteas by 38 runs at Centurion in March 2022) was paramount. He took another three-for to ensure a series win. Later that year, Miraz scored 141 runs in three innings as Bangladesh beat India at home in a three-game ODI series. “In the last three years, he has grown in confidence,” observes Islam. “He has learnt how to bowl outside home, across all conditions, whether it is a flat wicket or hard wicket, what pace he should bowl and all that. He has improved that a lot.”
The biggest change for Miraz came when he was asked to open the batting in the Asia Cup which was played in the T20 format. Preparing for that challenge meant he worked a lot on his batting which has in turn reflected in his confidence and the way he bats in ODIs. Since December 2022, he averages 32.87 with the bat, scoring almost half his career runs. He scored a hundred at No. 8 against India and one against Afghanistan while opening the batting. In a rather poetic way, he has seen it all.
At the ongoing World Cup, Miraz has batted between Nos. 3-5 depending on where the team needs him. He has embraced the challenge. He is thinking like an all-rounder. Islam can see the change in mindset. “Batting in the top-order, he believes that he is capable and that he can score. He is thinking that he is a genuine batter and can do the job for the team,” he says.
Miraz started the World Cup with a fifty and a three-for after which he spoke about how working on the batting since the India series is yielding results. He has adapted to different positions by keeping the goals simple. “I think about it since I got the opportunity, I will try to utilize it. It's good to bat in any position above the 8th position because I believe in myself that I can bat. At the end of the day, the team will benefit if I can play well,” he had said.
Bangladesh’s middle-overs are largely the captain and Miraz bowling in tandem and that too has helped the youngster. They talk about the small things, the mindset, the lines and lengths he should bowl and so on whenever they bowl together.
While the comparisons with Shakib keep coming, Islam believes that the Miraz-Shakib comparison at this time isn’t right and adds that they are distinctly different personalities. At the same time, he sees a leader in Miraz. He attributes the growth to Miraz’s attitude towards the sport and the clarity that comes with it. “He was mature even at 17. He is a good captain also. He is a good team player on the field, carries all the players and is brave in crucial situations. He has been carrying himself like that since his U17 days. When Miraz is on the field, he knows what he is doing and that is his strength,” he says.
Whether Miraz will become an all-rounder as good as Shakib is something only time can tell. But the signs are there. And should he keep up the way he has grown, Miraz could even be the best of all good things for Bangladesh cricket in the coming decade.
