Let me take you back to the night of 1st September in Sylhet. Nasum Ahmed walked off the ground with the Man of the Match award for his brilliant spell of 4-0-21-3 against the Netherlands, despite starting that series on the bench.
Fast forward two weeks, and Nasum once again found himself in a similar situation during Bangladesh’s Asia Cup campaign. He was overlooked for the first two matches against Hong Kong and Sri Lanka as the team management tried different combinations.
But in a do-or-die clash against Afghanistan, with Super Four hopes on the line, Nasum was recalled to the XI. And once again, his selection paid off handsomely as Bangladesh clinched a hard-fought 8-run victory while defending 154.
With the new Kookaburra in hand, Nasum began the demolition job in the very first over. He dismissed Sediqullah Atal for a duck with his opening delivery. Tossing up a flighted good-length ball that skidded onto the stumps, he trapped Atal plumb in front as the batter attempted a back-foot shot across the line. Nasum started his spell with a wicket-maiden.
They say one brings two. Nasum struck again in the powerplay, this time removing Ibrahim Zadran in his second over with a near-identical fashion. Even a DRS review could not save the Afghan opener.
Returning in the 18th over, Nasum once more made an immediate impact. Off his very first ball, Karim Janat slashed hard towards extra cover, only for Nurul Hasan to produce a stunning full-length stop and fire a sharp throw to Litton Das at the striker’s end. Janat, stranded halfway down the pitch, was run out.
For the second consecutive match he played, Nasum was named Man of the Match. This time for a superb spell of 4-1-11-2, including 16 dot balls.
Asked about his mantra for bowling with the new ball, Nasum explained, “I always fancy bowling with the new ball. That’s something I love, the challenge, and when the captain asked me to do it.”
Despite struggling to grip the ball in the sweltering heat, his focus remained simple and effective. “I was facing a little bit of a problem gripping the ball properly due to sweat, but my priority was to keep the ball stump-to-stump,” he said.
Nasum has never been the first-choice option for Bangladesh, nor the frontline spinner. On several occasions he has been left out due to team combinations. Yet time and again, he has answered the call when Bangladesh needed him most.
He is Nasum Ahmed, the left-arm spinner who thrives with the new ball, celebrates every wicket with heart, and walks off the field with a cheerful smile. That’s simply who he is.
