"I Am in My Own Place": Miraz Objects to Comparisons with Others

Mehidy Hasan Miraz is often seen as a potential successor to Shakib Al Hasan in the Bangladesh team. Ahead of the Mirpur Test, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto expressed the possibility of Miraz becoming Shakib’s replacement in the future. However, Miraz himself prefers not to be compared to other players.

In the post-match press conference after the first Test against South Africa in Mirpur, Miraz voiced his discomfort with comparisons to Shakib, saying, "People often say that I’ll take Shakib bhai’s place. But look, Shakib bhai has achieved so much, he’s played for 17 years, he’s a legendary player. I’ve only started making runs over the past year or two. Shakib bhai was scoring from the start. He’s in his place, and I am in mine. It’s better not to compare one player with another. I bat at No. 7 or 8, while Shakib bhai batted in the top order. When my time comes, I’ll try to perform well for the team.”

While Miraz is often compared to Shakib, he hasn’t had the chance to play in the middle order like Shakib; instead, he continues to bat at No. 8. This has led to frequent discussions about promoting him in the batting order, especially after the recent loss against South Africa.

Miraz explained, “This is a decision for the team management. They will decide where I should bat for the team’s benefit.”

Miraz narrowly missed a century in the second innings against South Africa, scoring 97 runs. Reflecting on that, he said, “A batsman always feels disappointed to miss a century. It does feel bad, but more than the century, I would have felt better if I had been able to execute my plan. I wasn’t focused on the century; I was focused on how far I could take the team.”

Miraz took full responsibility for the defeat in the Mirpur Test, saying, “There are always expectations, especially at home. I admit we didn’t play up to expectations. We know Mirpur best, so as players, we have to take full responsibility. We still have one more match, and I hope we can come back strongly if we win the next one.”

Miraz expressed his hope of overcoming the shortcomings in the Chattogram Test, saying, “Losing is hard, but we can’t break down. We have another Test ahead, and we’ll plan for it. We’ll try to quickly address the gaps we identified.”