Mohammad Mithun

A prolific wicket-keeper batsman, Mohammad Mithun has been performing heavily in the domestic circuit, but has not been able to replicate that form at the international stage. A technically sound player, Mithun made his first class debut at the age of 15.  He had a great first-class debut season and was also a part of Bangladesh’s under-19 squad for the World Cup in 2008. Mithun had an average tournament as the Tigers were knocked out in the quarter finals by South Africa. 

Post the 2008 World Cup, the batter had a great limited overs season, amassing 285 runs and with a strike-rate well over 100. However, he had to wait 6 more years to make his international debut for Bangladesh in a T20I game against Sri Lanka. It was in the summers of 2014 when Mithun got a chance to make his mark in the white-ball cricket against India. He played a decent knock and looked in good touch before being dismissed for 26. Bangladesh lost the match, but Mithun certainly looked like a player for the future.

Poor form eventually led to the exclusion of Mithun from the Bangladesh ODI setup. The batter went back to the domestic circuit and piled up runs season after season, and was finally rewarded with his maiden Test call-up against Zimbabwe in 2018. His comeback innings couldn’t have got off to a worse start, as he was dismissed for a duck. However, in the second innings, Mithun played a gutsy knock and brought up his maiden half-century in Test cricket.

The player was selected for the 2019 World Cup squad, but he only played 3 matches in the tournament, accumulating 51 runs as Bangladesh crashed out of the group stage. 

A talented batsman, Mithun’s game revolves around sheer timing and finding the gaps at will. He would have hoped for a better international career, as he was not able to translate his potential into success at the international stage. A player who was touted to play in all three formats of the game, now finds it difficult to break into the Bangladesh team setup. 

(As of March 2021)