Mehidy Hasan shows his excitement after rising to No.2 in the ICC ODI Rankings
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Mehidy Hasan
After a brilliant performance with the ball during the first two games of their present ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League series against Sri Lanka, Mehidy Hasan became the third bowler from Bangladesh to be placed in the top two of the ICC Men’s ODI Bowler Rankings.
Only allrounder Shakib Al Hasan and left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak were in the top two from Bangladesh before Mehidy Hasan, with Shakib reaching No. 1 in 2009 and Razzak advancing to No. 2 in 2010.
Mehidy has moved up three spots to second place after recording figures of four for 30 and three for 28 against Sri Lanka. He is only 12 rating points behind Trent Boult, the top-ranked ODI bowler.
Mehidy Hasan on reaching No. 2 in the rankings
After hitting a career-high ranking, he commented about the remarkable feat and thanked his teammates and team management for their unwavering support.
“I never thought I could reach No. 2 in the ODI rankings, so I am feeling great. I want to thank my teammates and team management, who supported me a lot. Everyone in the team is happy for me, which is really pleasing for me. I really love it when my teammates back me up particularly when I am down. I think it is a massive thing for a player. I don’t think I would have come this far if my teammates didn’t back me in my bad days,” said Mehidy Hasan as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
He began his career as a Test specialist, but he quickly established himself in the 50-over format as well. To get the best results for his team, he sought to focus more on the tiny things and tried to contain the batters in the limited-overs format.
“I was a Test specialist when I started but I always wanted to play all the formats successfully. I wanted to contribute to the team when I started playing ODIs. I focused on the economy rate because that would keep me in the team and allow me to get breakthroughs. I understand that batsmen are in a rush to score runs in ODIs. I was more focused on the small things, what improvement will help the team, help me be in the team,” added Mehidy Hasan.
Mehidy Hasan considered the 2018 ODI series in the West Indies when he only took three wickets but bowled at a low economy rate of 4.06, as a career turning moment. Following that, he became a regular in Bangladesh’s One-Day International team, and a strong showing in the 2019 World Cup, when he picked up six wickets on pitches that aren’t conducive to spinners, generated even more confidence in him.
“I became an ODI regular from the 2018 away series in West Indies. The 2019 World Cup gave me a lot of confidence, particularly in a country where there weren’t any spin tracks. I planned so that the batsmen couldn’t dominate me, even if I didn’t take wickets. Small things make all the difference. It worked in a few matches – against South Africa, New Zealand, and England,” concluded Mehidy Hasan.
Mehidy Hasan will be eager to produce in Bangladesh’s last game against Sri Lanka, where a win might seal a record whitewash. The third and final ODI begins on May 28th.
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Mohamed Azhar
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