'Excited about competition for places' – Neil McKenzie

Bangladesh fared well against Zimbabwe in the one-day international series, winning all three games even without Iqbal and Hasan with the likes of Imrul Kayes, Liton Das and Soumya Sarkar stepping up.

Kayes got two centuries and a half-century in the three games while Das, who struck a hundred in the Asia Cup 2018 final, made 83 in the second ODI. And while Sarkar didn't play the first two games, when the opportunity came his way, he hit a century (117) to push his case.

"I would like to see similar consistency. Training hard and prepare for specific conditions and bowlers," McKenzie said after the end of the series. "When you have a lot of competition for places, you have to be consistent.

"It is no use getting a hundred and then nought, nought, five, seven. If you just look outside the squad and the guys who didn't get to bat today, just look at how much batting you got. There's a lot of batting coming through."

With Bangladesh likely to face a problem of plenty when the seniors return from injuries, McKenzie agreed that selection will be 'a little bit tricky'.

Adding that the seniors in the team will have to guide the youngsters with their experience, he said, "The senior guys were junior guys. I think the junior guys get a bad rap. The senior guys have the job to show the youngsters the way to go through.

"The youngsters will be slightly inconsistent but the senior guys have to show them how to get through that period. I am very excited about the competition for places and the big hundreds that have been happening in the domestic and international scene."

McKenzie is pleased with how Mohammad Mithun, another young member of the squad, has been coming of age since the Asia Cup. "Mithun has been good. He scored some vital 60s and 70s in the Asia Cup. He is showing some glimpses where he can be," McKenzie said."He is playing Tests now. The coaching staff has good faith in him. I think he is a tremendous hitter of the ball."

He also called for the batsmen to execute their game plans better. "It is down to game plans: when to hit and when not to hit, and hit spaces," McKenzie said.

"We talk a lot about the skill sets of a Bangladeshi batsman. There's no use trying to bat like West Indians or South Africans. You have to bat like a Bangladeshi.

"Use your skills. Bangladeshi batsmen hit space. They should be agile between wickets. They are very skilled hitters. Hit space and run hard, and the big hits will follow. We have had some big sixes there. Guys were in good positions, and it comes from confidence."