A leg-spinner like Rishad Hossain is someone any international side would love to have. Standing 6 feet 2 inches tall, he can bowl sharp googlies, occasionally surprise batters with a vertical-seamed topspinner, and most importantly, he has the power to clear the ropes batting down the order.
But in the Asia Cup, Rishad struggled in the opening two matches. Bangladesh began their campaign with a seven-wicket win over Hong Kong, chasing 144 with 14 balls to spare. Yet Rishad was far from his best in that game.
He picked up two wickets but conceded 31 runs, including two fours and two sixes. In the second match against Sri Lanka, skipper Litton Das gave him just one over, which went for 18 runs with two boundaries. Bangladesh eventually lost by six wickets while defending 139, and Rishad was not called on to bowl again.
In those two outings, neither his line nor his length was consistent. He tossed up too many full deliveries that were punished for boundaries. Later, spin-bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed explained that Rishad had been trying too many variations in a single over, which disrupted his rhythm and, in turn, hurt the team.
“Sometimes, as a young leg-spinner, you forget,” Mushtaq said. “When you try too many variations in one over, especially in the early overs, you start losing your line and length.”
However, Rishad bounced back in style in the must-win clash against Afghanistan on Tuesday at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Litton handed him the ball in the seventh over of the innings, where he conceded just six runs without picking up a wicket. In his next over, Rishad lured Gulbadin Naib into driving at a flighted fuller-length ball. Gulbadin closed the bat face too early and ended up offering a return catch. The young wrist-spinner celebrated by tossing the ball into the sky before running to Tanzid Tamim and Litton for high-fives.
In his final over of the first spell, the 23-year-old delivered a decisive blow by removing the dangerous Rahmanullah Gurbaz. The Afghan opener, batting on 35 off 30 balls, attempted a slog sweep off a full delivery, only to find Jaker Ali at deep backward square leg. That wicket proved a huge boost for Bangladesh in their push for victory.
The night before, Bangladesh had trained under the lights for two hours. Rishad was seen working closely with Mushtaq on spin-bowling drills as the team geared up for the crunch match.
There had been doubts over his place in the XI, but Rishad earned his spot and repaid the faith. If Bangladesh qualify for the Super Four, he will have an even bigger role to play.
