Mithun

Mohammad Mithun has been in the reckoning for many years now but hasn't been able to translate his potential into results in international cricket. A prolific wicket-keeper batsman, Mithun's gameplay is crisp and flexible, making him a potential choice to play all formats for Bangladesh. The fact that he can also play as a specialist batsman helps his cause, considering that there is already Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das, two quality batsmen who can keep wickets. With the senior most of them keen on reducing his workload in recent years, the onus has been on youth with Liton leading the charge. Mithun's talent has been raved about highly, not only in the internal circles of Bangladesh but also among the different foreign coaches that the national team has had.

Mithun made his First-Class debut when he was barely 15 and was also a part of the 2008 Under-19 Bangladesh team. He had a good limited-overs season in 2008-09 when he scored 285 runs for his team at an intimidating strike rate of 105. Although, he was named in many 15-member squads, his chances of playing an international game came only in early 2014 when he debuted in a T20I against Sri Lanka. Although Mithun was not able to get off the mark in that game, consistent performances at the domestic level in the past earned him recognition. Over the next few years, he was ignored for national selection, but the weight of domestic performances eventually saw him earning a recall in 2018 for the ODI tri-series at home. Issues to some other key young players has opened a lifeline for Mithun who is hoping to redeem his career. He has all the gifts but needs to know how to use them.

What to expect in the 2019 WC?

The calm to the chaos - Mohammad Mithun would have done really well if he dons the nickname over the course of the upcoming World Cup. An enterprising batter, Mithun is also a wicket-keeper but his sheer weight of runs at the domestic level have forced the selectors to pick him as a proper batsman.

He might well be the bridge between a foundation and acceleration. Between a Shakib and Mahmudullah. And he knows chances might come far and few, but every opportunity will have to be grabbed at. Expect him to come good in a couple of games given he gets the chances.

By Hariprasad Sadanandan