'The way he batted was impressive': Hathurusingha on Shanto
Hathuru mentioned Shanto's away performance is a key factor for the team going forward. Shanto has a better away average with the bat in Tests and T20Is while the ODI averages are almost similar.
Bangladesh national team coach Chandika Hathurasingha said he has been impressed with the way Najmul Hossain Shanto batted in the recently concluded ODI series against England.
Shanto scored 111 runs in the series including two fifties in the first and third matches. He was also the second-highest run-scorer of the team in the series.
Coming into the series, Shanto didn't have a good ODI record. In fact, the first ODI was his 16th match where he bagged his maiden ODI fifty.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
"Shanto really grabbed his opportunities in the ODI series. I didn't know his record before. He didn't have a very good ODI record," Hathurusingha said during the press conference on Wednesday.
"The way he batted was impressive. He's good against fast bowlers."
Hathurusingha worked with Shanto for a long time in the nets on Wednesday. He was seen chatting with the southpaw and giving tips for the upcoming battle.
Hathuru mentioned Shanto's away performance is a key factor for the team going forward. Shanto has a better away average with the bat in Tests and T20Is while the ODI averages are almost similar.
"And then, if you look at his record, he has played overseas as well. He is a very good player for us going forward," he added.
In T20Is, his home average stands at 13.60 and his away average is 24.80. What's more impressive is his neutral average playing in ICC events (32.00). He averages 15.88 in home Tests while his away average is 34.42.
Shanto was the highest run-scorer in the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia last year. He bagged 180 runs from the five matches with a strike rate of 114 and an average of 36. He bagged two fifties in the tournament.
