After a long wait, Najmul Hossain Shanto finally comes of age

Everything Najmul Hossain Shanto touched turned into gold in the just-concluded ODI series against Ireland in Chelmsford. With 196 runs at 65.3 and a strike-rate of 102.6, Shanto earned his first ODI Player of the Series award,  five years after his debut.

And when Tamim Iqbal thought the match was "already gone", he turned to Shanto. Yet to get an ODI wicket, Shanto got ready to roll his arm over and within minutes, he brought Bangladesh right back in the game.

Shanto is rated very highly in Bangladesh's cricketing circles and many see him as a future captain of the team. But his start to international cricket has been scratchy. There were glimpses here and there but he had to wait a long time for a complete performance. 

Shanto started 2023 with an ODI average of 14 and a strike-rate of 60. His first fifty (against England) in ODIs came after a five-year wait. 

The year has been very rewarding for Shanto. He became the first Bangladeshi to score 500 runs in a single BPL season. His T20I career got a new lease of life under head coach Chandika Hathurusingha as he played three 40-plus against World Champions England. In ODIs in 2023, Shanto averages 50.6 and has a strike-rate of 88.2.

The southpaw has been a revelation in this series against Ireland. As the team's number three, he had to face the new ball every game because of a lack of big opening partnerships. Since the first match, his footwork has been precise most of the time as he opted to walk down the pitch multiple times to negate the swing of the new ball. He looked strong off his pads and negotiated the short balls with conviction. 

In the first match, he was unfortunate to get out playing the swivel-pull after a confident 44 off 66. The next game, he got an 83-ball hundred, the joint-second fastest by a Bangladeshi away from home. Shanto's sprightly 32-ball-37 put the Ireland bowlers off their line and length in the third ODI. 

Shanto is only the second Bangladesh top-order batter to finish an away ODI series with 50+ average and 100+ strike-rate. Anamul Haque did that last year but his effort went in vain as Bangladesh lost the series to Zimbabwe. 

Shanto's ground fielding and leadership quality have impressed as well. Most notably, he was seen running all the way from deep cover to give Hasan Mahmud some advice during the last over. 

From getting ridiculed at stadiums at home in Bangladesh to getting cheered at grounds overseas, the growth of Najmul Hossain Shanto has been remarkable. Bangladesh will love to see this version of him in the World Cup later this year.