Mahfizul Islam: The Door Opens for a Right-Handed Opener

Mahfizul Islam: The Door Opens for a Right-Handed Opener Sitting in the media box at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, I watched Mahfizul Islam's bat send the ball rolling across the field. In that moment, I felt this was no ordinary run — it was the beginning of a story. I write the pass before the goal, because that is where the story hides. With Mahfizul, it is the same — every ball before his runs, every net session, every morning practice — that is where the real story lies. Mahfizul Islam, whom everyone calls "Robin" — hearing this name brings back memories of Narayanganj's narrow lanes, his father's death, his mother's tears, and his sister and brother-in-law's support on the path to cricket. Today he has been called up to Bangladesh's Test squad for the South Africa tour, a 16-member squad. But is this call-up just a stroke of luck? No, it is the result of years of patience, sweat, and waiting. Bangladesh Test cricket has an old problem — the top order is all left-handed. Sadman Islam, Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul Haque — all four are left-handed. For opposition bowlers, planning against this line-up is easy. They know which ball to bowl where to trouble these batsmen. Searching for a solution to this problem, the selectors found Mahfizul — a right-handed opener. Mahfizul's journey began in Narayanganj. There, under Jahangir Alam, he had his first lessons in cricket. Then came BKSP — Bangladesh cricket's most famous pipeline. From there, the Under-19 World Cup team. In the 2026 Under-19 World Cup, he scored 116 runs in 6 matches, including one fifty. At the time, it seemed this boy would do something big. But in his first three first-class matches, he could not do much. In 2026, in the Dhaka Premier League (DPL), he scored 512 runs in 11 matches — four fifties and one century. That was his breakthrough. Then in the National Cricket League (NCL), 340 runs in 12 innings across 7 matches, with one century. Again in DPL, 498 runs in 10 matches at an average of 55.32, with two centuries. On the South Africa Emerging team's tour, one fifty in four innings across two four-day matches. And in the current NCL season — 672 runs in 10 innings across 5 matches at an average of 74.67, with two centuries and one double century. These statistics prove Mahfizul's consistency. But a question remains — how did these runs come? On what pitches? Against what kind of bowling attacks? Without this information, deciding based only on averages is wrong. Because in Bangladesh's domestic cricket, many players score well but fail at the international level. Mahfizul faces this risk too. In the practice match against West Indies, he scored only 4 runs. This failure reminds us — domestic success does not automatically translate to international cricket. South Africa's pace, bounce, and swing — these three things are a big test for Mahfizul. If he can score 40-50 runs there, his career will reach a different height. But this selection is not just a message for Mahfizul — it is also a message for Bangladesh cricket. The selectors say they had been looking for a right-handed opener for a long time. Habibul Bashar's words — "We wanted a right-handed opener, we were working on it. Mahfizul has proved himself." This statement is important because it shows the selection was based not just on form, but on the team structure's needs. When I watch cricket from the ground, the most important moment for me is when a batsman steps out to play the first ball. What is in his eyes at that moment tells how prepared he is. In Mahfizul's eyes, I have seen patience — built over many years in domestic cricket. But in South Africa, the Proteas bowlers will test that patience. Now the question is — will Mahfizul survive that test? We must wait for the answer. But one thing is certain — he got this opportunity on his own merit. And that is the biggest thing for Bangladesh cricket. Because many times, good players do not get opportunities. Mahfizul got one. Now it is his responsibility to make it count.