Mohammad Mithun

Mohammad Mithun was a child prodigy who could not translate his talent into performance at international level despite a decent run in all three formats.

Born and brought up in Khulna, Mithun went to the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan (BKSP), the country's most prominent sporting institute, where he excelled in the cricket team. He was also a wicketkeeper and a part-time offspinner and played in the 2008 Under-19 World Cup, after which he developed himself as a domestic performer. His international debut came in 2014 but it was under head coach Steve Rhodes that he briefly looked to fulfil his lifelong promise of an effective stroke-maker.

The glimmer of hope came during the 2018 Asia Cup when he struck fifties against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, both times having a century stand with Mushfiqur Rahim after a top-order collapse. Much was expected of him during the 2019 ODI World Cup but he could score only 47 runs in three matches in the tournament. In all, he struck just eight half-centuries in 61 innings across formats for Bangladesh. His international career ended after he made just 51 runs in a three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe in 2021.

Mithun's happier times came in domestic cricket where he won 11 first-class titles - five National Cricket League titles, including a hat-trick from 2015-16 to 2017-18, with Khulna Division and six more for South Zone in the Bangladesh Cricket League. In 2017-18 and 2019-20, he did the double with Khulna and South Zone. He also had three productive seasons in the Bangladesh Premier League, from 2016 to 2019, which helped him return to the national side but the stay did not last long.