When Mohammad Naim Sheikh walks to the crease, he does so burdened not only by the weight of expectation but also by the disarray that has defined his international career. Once seen as one of Bangladesh’s most promising top-order batters, Naim’s journey in national colours has been marked more by inconsistency in management than by his own form. A combination of poor squad planning, confusing role assignments and selective amnesia from selectors has seen him drift in and out of the side, often without rhythm or reason.
In the second T20I against Pakistan at Dhaka on 22 July, Naim walked in to open as Bangladesh’s top order collapsed to 28 for four. He made a feeble 3 from 7 balls, trying an audacious scoop off Faheem Ashraf only to edge it to the keeper. Previously, he was sent in at number three, a position he has rarely batted at domestically. He appeared uncertain, poking tentatively before nicking off. It was a mirror to his broader international struggles: miscast and misunderstood.
“I have batted in the middle order recently in domestic cricket,” Naim said before this series. “But my natural game and strength lie at the top.” That quote laid bare the conflict between player identity and team instruction. Despite his domestic dominance as an opener, the Bangladesh Cricket Board has repeatedly shuffled him down the order or brought him back into the squad for makeshift roles, often without any clarity.
Domestic dominance ignored
The 25-year-old has a formidable domestic record. In the 2023–24 Dhaka Premier League, Naim scored 932 runs in 16 innings at an average of 66.57 for Legends of Rupganj. That included three hundreds and five fifties. In the 2022–23 National Cricket League, he also averaged over 40 opening for Dhaka Division. These performances were not flukes. They are signs of a batter who thrives with time and responsibility at the top of the order.
Even in BPL cricket, his overall record stands as respectable. He has scored 1064 runs in 44 innings at an average of 26.6 with a strike rate of 118. But those numbers tell only part of the story. Naim has consistently been among the highest run-scorers in the domestic white-ball scene for the last five years. Yet he is frequently sidelined or brought back into the squad with little pattern or long-term planning.
The ‘yo-yo’ selection policy
Naim’s career arc is symptomatic of Bangladesh’s long-standing problem. Players are often chosen based on short-term needs or internal politics, not strategic planning. After being dropped following the T20 World Cup in 2021, he made a return in early 2023, played a couple of ODIs, was benched, recalled again for the 2023 Asia Cup and then sat out the World Cup entirely. This year, he was overlooked for the Zimbabwe T20Is in May, only to be brought back against Pakistan in July.
In the opening T20I of the current series, he was demoted to number five, scoring just 2 off 6 balls. Then in the second T20I, pushed to number three, he failed again. It was less a reflection of his ability and more the result of the chaos surrounding his role.
This erratic handling has clearly stripped him of confidence. While players like Towhid Hridoy, Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Jaker Ali are given extended runs in specific roles, Naim seems to be the one-stop plug for every vacancy regardless of whether it suits him.
Where to from here?
For Naim, the road ahead is uncertain. At 25, he still has time to rebuild, but it will take more than domestic runs. It will require clarity from the BCB and a commitment to long-term planning. He needs consistent opportunities as an opener, not as a utility batter shuffled around to fill gaps. Otherwise, Bangladesh risk wasting a genuine white-ball talent due to poor communication and planning at the top.