Bangladesh's selector Hannan Sarkar has said that the prolific domestic batter Amite Hasan is close to Test selection. He however said that Amite has to take a step further towards international cricket, by getting runs in the other representative sides like the BCB High Performance unit, before he is ready for the top flight.
Amite's name came into the picture after he made a strong start to the 2024-25 season, but couldn't find a place in the Test team for the upcoming West Indies series. Bangladesh are without captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and veteran Mushfiqur Rahim, while the likes of Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal have moved on from the longer format.
"Amite has been scoring quite regularly since making his first-class debut," Sarkar said. "This is not the first season that he has scored runs. The next step for a cricketer is the BCB's high performance unit. He has been playing in this level for three years. He has played a number of matches against international opposition. He was in the HP squad that went to Australia this year. He had four innings there. I was on that tour. I saw his batting."
The selectors picked middle-order batter Shahadat Hossain who made a century in this season's NCL, but someone who couldn't quite make a splash in his first four Tests, since making his debut in November last year.
Amite meanwhile has been Bangladesh's second highest scorer in first-class cricket since his debut in 2019. He has scored 2,425 runs at an average of 49.48. His conversation rate is impressive too, scoring eight hundreds out of the 17 times he has reached 50 runs. In his latest NCL match, he notched his maiden double-century, scoring 213 against Khulna Division.
Shahadat has scored 1,322 runs at 33.89 average in domestic cricket.
Sarkar said that Amite needs to improve his batting when he plays for the representative teams like the High Performance unit or Bangladesh A, as there's a huge gap between Bangladesh's domestic standard and international cricket.
"I think we have to pay more attention on how we can make a cricketer ready for international cricket, rather than putting them up on a tough stage. There's nothing to hide here. There's a huge difference between domestic and international cricket. We often see domestic performers struggling at the international stage. We have to think differently about him after one or two matches."
Shahadat was among the runs for Bangladesh A before his Test debut, including fifties against India A and West Indies A. But since his foray into Tests, he hasn't made runs for Bangladesh A in the four first-class matches he played against Pakistan A in Australia and Pakistan. Amite meanwhile has a score of 70 against Pakistan A in Darwin.
Sarkar said that they want to prepare Amite properly before giving him a Test call-up. They also considered him for the West Indies series when deciding upon their choice of batter to replace Shanto. Bangladesh also have Mahidul Islam and Jaker Ali, both of whom made their Test debuts against South Africa last month.
"Amite scores regularly. He is within our system. We are preparing him. I believe in giving a cricketer enough opportunities. It is good for everyone to prepare that cricketer properly. It also matters where a player makes his debut. There was a number of things that were being discussed. Amite remains within our system. It is not like, he has scored only this season. He is scoring every year, and he is close (to selection)."
Bangladesh play the two Tests against West Indies in November and December, their last matches in the current World Test Championship cycle.