Being a partnership breaker and having the ability to restrain opposition batters who are in full flow, Rishad Hossain can be a very valuable option for any team in white-ball cricket. He has proved it before for the national side and for the Hobart Hurricanes in the last Big Bash League, and he is proving it again.
New Zealand’s Katene Clarke and Dane Cleaver were all over the Bangladeshi bowlers in the series opener of the three-match T20I series. Despite losing opener Tim Robinson in the second over, the duo went bang bang all around the Bir Sreshtho Shahid Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Cricket Stadium in Chattogram.
The onslaught lasted 50 balls as their partnership grew to 88 for the second wicket. However, Rishad Hossain stood out as the best bowler for Bangladesh, finishing with figures of 4-0-32-2, including seven crucial dot balls.
Rishad was introduced in the eighth over, by which time both batters were well set on a batting-friendly surface at Sagorika. Despite being hit for a boundary by Katene on his first over, Rishad maintained a disciplined length, mixing flight and good-length deliveries, even at the risk of being attacked.
With a blend of back-of-length balls and flighted deliveries, Rishad created a chance in his second over. Katene, batting on 44 off 28 balls and clearly targeting Bangladesh’s field placements, attempted to pull over the leg side but mistimed it. Saif Hassan dropped the chance at deep square leg.
Katene later went on to score his maiden T20I fifty. However, in the fourth delivery of that same over, Rishad trapped Cleaver in front. Cleaver, who had scored 51 off 28 balls, was deceived by a flighted delivery on middle and off stump that turned just enough as he attempted a reverse sweep. He was given out lbw.
Shortly after reaching his fifty, Katene also fell to Rishad. Attempting a reverse sweep towards third man, he was undone by extra bounce on a wider delivery and was caught by Towhid Hridoy.
At one stage, Katene and Cleaver looked set to push New Zealand close to 200. However, Rishad’s intervention in the middle overs checked the scoring rate. Despite the 88-run partnership, New Zealand were restricted to 182 for 6, which Bangladesh chased down with 12 balls to spare to win by six wickets.
In the death overs, Bangladesh also bowled well, conceding only 41 runs. But it was Rishad who set the tone in the middle overs.
He has been working closely with spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed, spending long hours in the nets at Sagorika. Ahead of the series decider, Rishad focused on his follow-through, googly, and variations.
Speaking about working with Mushtaq, Rishad said during the innings break, “As long as I am playing, I have to work with him consistently. I am trying to improve my game and bowl even better in the future.”
Although he was dropped for the series decider, Rishad soon found himself back in the role he has been shaping for, especially in the middle overs. He mixed his variations effectively, using both defensive and attacking options to deceive batters with changes in length and flight, making him a difficult bowler to counter.
Explaining his strategy, Rishad said, “I tried to play my attacking and defensive role with the ball. Since New Zealand already had runs on the board, I focused on picking up wickets to help the team.”
