In Sylhet on Sunday night, after Mohammad Nabi and his son Hassan Eisakhil became one of professional cricket’s rare father-son duos to play together, the post-match press conference offered a revealing insight into how that relationship works on and off the field.
The occasion itself was historic. Nabi, 41, and Hassan, 19, had just shared the field for Noakhali Express in the Bangladesh Premier League. Yet the conversation that followed was less about sentiment and more about discipline, preparation and perspective.
Hassan, who marked his BPL debut with a commanding 92 from 60 balls, played down personal milestones. Asked about falling short of a hundred, he said his focus had been elsewhere. “I was waiting to hit a six to give a bigger, a good total for opponents,” he said. “I’m not that much sad for my hundred.”
Nabi, an Afghanistan great who made his own professional debut in 2007, framed the innings as the product of planning rather than emotion. He explained that they had spent the previous day preparing together. “We already spent one and a half hour yesterday and prepare him for the game,” he said. “We discussed the situation, the bowlers, what kind of ball will be bowled. He was waiting for those balls.”
For Nabi, watching his son perform on debut brought satisfaction rather than surprise. “The way he performed, the way he training from last two years, playing domestic cricket, centuries in first class, one-day, T20,” he said. “Hopefully, see him in the national team soon.”
Much of the press conference revolved around the dynamic between them. Hassan described their bond as informal and open. “Our bonding is like a friend,” he said. “We share everything, about cricket and out of life.”
Nabi agreed, with one important caveat. “But strict in the training,” he added. “No excuse.”
That strictness extends beyond the nets. When asked whether he had given his son advice on handling the media, Nabi’s response was blunt. “Away from the media,” he said. “Only for cricket.”
Hassan echoed that approach, admitting he usually avoids interviews altogether. “I want to focus on my career and cricket,” he said. “So I’m not attending the interviews.”
There was also space for lighter moments. Asked whether he had copied his father’s batting style, particularly in lofted shots, Hassan dismissed the idea. “It’s coming naturally,” he said. “I didn’t see like I’m playing like my father.”
Nabi, meanwhile, resisted attempts to draw him into unrelated topics, shutting down a question about another player with visible irritation, reinforcing his insistence that the spotlight remain on cricket alone.
For all the historic framing around the match, the press conference revealed something quieter and more telling. This was not a ceremonial crossover, but a professional exchange between two cricketers at different stages of the same journey, bound by family but governed by routine, discipline and an insistence on keeping emotion in check.
