Fresh from helping Bangladesh sweep Afghanistan 3-0 in Sharjah, leg-spinner Rishad Hossain is packing for Hobart. The Hurricanes secured the 22-year-old in last month’s draft and, with no international clashes on the horizon, he should be available for the entire Big Bash League season.
“As a legspinner, if I get to play in these foreign leagues, it will be good for me and for my bowling,” Rishad said in a media call arranged by Hobart. “I’ll get opportunities to improve my skills.”
Ponting factor
Hurricanes head of strategy Ricky Ponting is a major draw. “Ponting was one of my favourite players growing up; I used to watch him play. I’m really looking forward to working with him. More than the players, I’m looking forward to working with Ricky Ponting and playing under his coaching.”
Role clarity
Bangladesh use Rishad as a middle-overs strike option, and he expects to do the same in Tasmania. “As a legspinner, my job is to take wickets after the powerplay. I hope to continue that in Hobart,” he said. “My goal is to create doubt in the batter’s mind by using different angles. It’s just another variation. I believe in my strengths, and day by day I’m trying to improve – even if it’s just by one or two percent – without thinking too much about the future.”
Recent form
The confidence stems from numbers. Rishad has picked up at least one wicket in seven of his last eight T20Is, five of them coming in the just-concluded Afghanistan series. Bangladesh’s spinners, him included, finished that rubber with a superior average and strike-rate to their Afghan counterparts despite taking one wicket fewer.
“I think it was important to get off to a good start right after the Asia Cup,” Rishad said. “Winning the series is always a good feeling.”
Rishad’s spin partner Nasum Ahmed collected the Player-of-the-Series award for his economy-rate of 5.58, an illustration of the pressure Bangladesh generated. When asked about that match-up with Afghanistan’s highly-rated slow bowlers, Rishad was matter-of-fact. “They have a lot of world-class bowlers in their side, so we tried to analyse them as much as we could before every game,” he noted. “We got success [too].”
More than a bowler
Selectors are also intrigued by Rishad’s all-round potential. Last year he lit up Chattogram with a 30-ball 53 that contained seven sixes, and his direct hit to run out Abhishek Sharma in the Asia Cup remains a highlight reel favourite. “That situation demanded that we take a wicket,” he recalled. “I was trying to create an opportunity, maybe with a diving catch or a fielding effort – anything to change the momentum of the game since it was on their side at that time, and it happened.”
Looking ahead
First, an ODI series against Afghanistan begins in Chattogram on Wednesday, where Rishad is slated to continue his development in the 50-over format. Once that is done, a long flight south awaits and, if all goes to plan, an extended spell under Ponting’s guidance.
For Bangladesh, the hope is straightforward: a sharper, savvier leg-spinner returns; for Hobart, the prospect is a fresh wicket-taking option in the middle overs; and for Rishad, a winter in Tasmania could be the next small step towards becoming the dependable all-format match-winner Bangladesh have been chasing.
