Print: 28 Oct 2025
PHOTO : TANVIN TAMIM
Is Bangladesh team management preparing Saif Hassan for the big league?
During the opening day’s practice session of the Tigers on Tuesday, it certainly seemed so, as he was the main focus of the coaches at the Oval 1 ground in Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium.
Bangladesh’s senior assistant coach, Mohammad Salahuddin, was seen frequently talking to Saif while he batted in the nets and did not shy away from praising him loudly and clearly whenever he struck the ball cleanly. Salahuddin also worked with him extensively, demonstrating different techniques that he could use when he comes on to bowl.
In recent times, Saif Hassan has become a hot commodity in the country ahead of franchise tournaments, largely due to his bowling ability, which helps balance team combinations.
Coincidentally, the same seems to be true for the Bangladesh national team as well, since his return after a gap of one and a half years on the back of strong domestic performances. He made a noteworthy impact in his comeback game against the Netherlands, scoring a quickfire 36 off 19 balls — decorated with one four and three sixes — after picking up two wickets in his two-over spell. It was a perfect all-round performance.
Bangladesh A team head coach Mizanur Rahman played a crucial role during Saif’s difficult period, when the right-handed batter was going through rough patches and spending time in the wilderness.
Speaking to Daily Sun, Mizanur said Saif needs to be reminded every now and then about his batting process.
“While batting, especially during power hitting in T20s, sometimes some errors occur in Saif’s technique like sometimes his grip rotates too much,” said Mizanur.
“Sometimes, there are problems with strength. So, he has to make those corrections and more importantly he needs to be reminded that he needs to fix things when it is not in order,” he said.
“The batters often cannot figure out the problems and that’s why they need to be reminded to make the small adjustments. For a player like Saif who has the power hitting ability, we try to do these( remind him when we find problems with his technique) to make them better, so that they can hit more sixes,” he said.
“As he bats in the top order, he needs to hit fours and sixes in good balls. So, we try to work with him on these as much as possible and you cannot play defensively in a T20I match as it is a game of 120 balls. You have to hit – even the good balls,” he added.
“Most importantly he can hit when the ball is pitched in his zone. He tries to improvise in those cases and now if his selection of the ball is a bit better, he can play for a long time, because we need players like him in T20 format – who have good physical structure and strength. Saif is one of those kinds of players,” he said.
Mizanur added that Saif’s range of shots has improved as he has been featuring regularly in T20 leagues such as the BPL (Bangladesh Premier League) and GSL (Global Super League). He is now more aware of his strengths and weaknesses.
“Saif in 2025 is different from the Saif two or three years earlier. The difference is experience. He has been playing the T20 franchise leagues for a long time. Now his experience has increased. His confidence has also increased because of playing the tournaments, along with game awareness,” said Mizanur. “You need confidence and courage to play shots. When you play more, your courage increases, and you try new shots. For Saif, he has developed the ability to play shots, as he can play shots now to the square leg and fine leg,” he added.
Mizanur said that Saif is in demand due to his bowling as it is helping the team to have a balance considering the fact it is difficult to play with five specialist bowlers.
“It is never possible to play a T20 match with five bowlers. As we have a shortage of all-rounders and we need at least six bowlers in the team, what I feel is that it would be better with seven bowlers,” said Mizanur.
“For Saif, you don’t need two overs from him – even one over will release the pressure off another bowler and his biggest strength as a bowler is that he has the skill to remain within his ability. He doesn’t have a lot of spin. He bowls with his knowledge. He bowls in the right places after reading the batter,” he said. “Yes. He brings balance to the team. He is a good fielder – tall enough to be an ideal fielder near the boundary ropes in T20s, who gets benefits during catching,” he concluded.
Skipper Litton Das echoed Mizanur’s opinion.
“The reason we included Saif is his aggressive batting and the ability to bowl a few overs if needed. On any wicket, especially if the pitch offers turn for spinners, he can contribute with the ball as well. This versatility will be a big help for the captain in any situation,” Litton said during the pre-match press conference on Wednesday.
The upcoming Asia Cup will be an acid test for Saif, and the Bangladesh team management is eagerly waiting for him to deliver with both bat and ball, as he has the ability to steal the show on his day.
(The writer can be reached at: [email protected])
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TIGERS BANKING ON SAIF’S ALL-ROUND SPARK
PHOTO : TANVIN TAMIM
Is Bangladesh team management preparing Saif Hassan for the big league?
During the opening day’s practice session of the Tigers on Tuesday, it certainly seemed so, as he was the main focus of the coaches at the Oval 1 ground in Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium.
Bangladesh’s senior assistant coach, Mohammad Salahuddin, was seen frequently talking to Saif while he batted in the nets and did not shy away from praising him loudly and clearly whenever he struck the ball cleanly. Salahuddin also worked with him extensively, demonstrating different techniques that he could use when he comes on to bowl.
In recent times, Saif Hassan has become a hot commodity in the country ahead of franchise tournaments, largely due to his bowling ability, which helps balance team combinations.
Coincidentally, the same seems to be true for the Bangladesh national team as well, since his return after a gap of one and a half years on the back of strong domestic performances. He made a noteworthy impact in his comeback game against the Netherlands, scoring a quickfire 36 off 19 balls — decorated with one four and three sixes — after picking up two wickets in his two-over spell. It was a perfect all-round performance.
Bangladesh A team head coach Mizanur Rahman played a crucial role during Saif’s difficult period, when the right-handed batter was going through rough patches and spending time in the wilderness.
Speaking to Daily Sun, Mizanur said Saif needs to be reminded every now and then about his batting process.
“While batting, especially during power hitting in T20s, sometimes some errors occur in Saif’s technique like sometimes his grip rotates too much,” said Mizanur.
“Sometimes, there are problems with strength. So, he has to make those corrections and more importantly he needs to be reminded that he needs to fix things when it is not in order,” he said.
“The batters often cannot figure out the problems and that’s why they need to be reminded to make the small adjustments. For a player like Saif who has the power hitting ability, we try to do these( remind him when we find problems with his technique) to make them better, so that they can hit more sixes,” he said.
“As he bats in the top order, he needs to hit fours and sixes in good balls. So, we try to work with him on these as much as possible and you cannot play defensively in a T20I match as it is a game of 120 balls. You have to hit – even the good balls,” he added.
“Most importantly he can hit when the ball is pitched in his zone. He tries to improvise in those cases and now if his selection of the ball is a bit better, he can play for a long time, because we need players like him in T20 format – who have good physical structure and strength. Saif is one of those kinds of players,” he said.
Mizanur added that Saif’s range of shots has improved as he has been featuring regularly in T20 leagues such as the BPL (Bangladesh Premier League) and GSL (Global Super League). He is now more aware of his strengths and weaknesses.
“Saif in 2025 is different from the Saif two or three years earlier. The difference is experience. He has been playing the T20 franchise leagues for a long time. Now his experience has increased. His confidence has also increased because of playing the tournaments, along with game awareness,” said Mizanur. “You need confidence and courage to play shots. When you play more, your courage increases, and you try new shots. For Saif, he has developed the ability to play shots, as he can play shots now to the square leg and fine leg,” he added.
Mizanur said that Saif is in demand due to his bowling as it is helping the team to have a balance considering the fact it is difficult to play with five specialist bowlers.
“It is never possible to play a T20 match with five bowlers. As we have a shortage of all-rounders and we need at least six bowlers in the team, what I feel is that it would be better with seven bowlers,” said Mizanur.
“For Saif, you don’t need two overs from him – even one over will release the pressure off another bowler and his biggest strength as a bowler is that he has the skill to remain within his ability. He doesn’t have a lot of spin. He bowls with his knowledge. He bowls in the right places after reading the batter,” he said. “Yes. He brings balance to the team. He is a good fielder – tall enough to be an ideal fielder near the boundary ropes in T20s, who gets benefits during catching,” he concluded.
Skipper Litton Das echoed Mizanur’s opinion.
“The reason we included Saif is his aggressive batting and the ability to bowl a few overs if needed. On any wicket, especially if the pitch offers turn for spinners, he can contribute with the ball as well. This versatility will be a big help for the captain in any situation,” Litton said during the pre-match press conference on Wednesday.
The upcoming Asia Cup will be an acid test for Saif, and the Bangladesh team management is eagerly waiting for him to deliver with both bat and ball, as he has the ability to steal the show on his day.
(The writer can be reached at: [email protected])