Bangladesh pacer Hasan Mahmud described his first Test five-wicket haul on home soil as a special moment after claiming six wickets against West Indies in the second Test at Sylhet on Friday.
Hasan finished with career-best figures of 6-90 as Bangladesh bowled out West Indies for 356. It was his fifth five-wicket haul in Test cricket, making him the first Bangladesh fast bowler to reach the milestone.
“Alhamdulillah, taking five wickets at home is always very special for me. We had a good opportunity on our own ground, so it brings me a lot of happiness,” Hasan said after the second day’s play.
The achievement also placed him alongside Nathan Lyon as the only bowlers to claim their first five Test five-wicket hauls in five different countries.
However, Hasan played down the significance of his growing list of records and said he wanted to keep contributing to the team.
“I keep things very simple. But I will definitely keep trying to take more five-wicket hauls in the future. As long as I play Test cricket, I will keep trying. A five-wicket haul is always special,” he said.
The 27-year-old explained that the Sylhet pitch offered some help to fast bowlers early on but became increasingly difficult for them as the innings progressed.
“There was seam movement and swing during the first one or two hours. But after two hours, the wicket became flat and batting-friendly,” he said.
“Even then, we kept communicating about our plans and processes. Every bowler tried to give his best and contribute to the team.”
Hasan also spoke about his method of setting up batters by using a series of deliveries to create an expectation before changing his approach.
“We try to bowl two or three deliveries in a way that makes the batter think the next ball will be similar. Then we use a different plan for the wicket-taking delivery,” he explained.
“If we execute it properly and bowl in the right area, we can get the wicket.”
Asked to name his most memorable Test wicket, Hasan picked Indian batting great Virat Kohli without hesitation.
“Definitely Virat Kohli’s wicket,” he said.
Hasan also credited his time with English county side Kent for helping him adjust to Australian conditions following his return from injury.
“The conditions at Kent were very similar to Australia. So adapting to English conditions helped me when I bowled in Australia. But county cricket and international cricket are different,” he said.
Despite his outstanding bowling performance, Bangladesh ended the day at 88-3, still trailing West Indies by 268 runs.
Hasan remained hopeful that unbeaten batters Towhid Hridoy and Mushfiqur Rahim could guide Bangladesh towards the visitors’ total.
“If Mushfiq bhai and Hridoy can continue their partnership, I think we can reach their total. The wicket is still good for batting,” he said.
