Bangladesh leg-spinner Rishad Hossain said he was eager to contribute in all three departments – bowling, batting and fielding – following their 74-run victory over the West Indies in the first of the three-match ODI series on Saturday.
Rishad, once viewed as a T20 leg-spinner but now proving his value in the 50-over format, made proper use of the newly made pitch at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium to deliver a career-best 6-35 to rattle the visitors.
Defending a modest total of 207, Bangladesh bowled out the visitors for 133 in 39 overs, with Rishad claiming the third-best bowling figure by a Bangladeshi in ODIs after Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (6-26) and Rubel Hossain (6-26).
Rishad also contributed with his bat, scoring 26 runs off just 13 balls, and is well known for his fielding. After the match, the young spinner said he aims to be a three-dimensional player for Bangladesh.
‘Yes obviously [it is a motivating factor]. As a player, it’s better to contribute from all three sides, so I try to leave a mark from any of the three departments and give my 110 per cent,’ he told reporters in the post-match press conference.
West Indies appeared comfortable in their chase at 51 without loss, as openers Brandon King and Alick Athanaze attacked confidently. But once Rishad was introduced, the match turned decisively in Bangladesh’s favour.
The leg-spinner broke the stand in his very first over, trapping Athanaze lbw for 27. He soon removed Keacy Carty, who edged to slip.
Rishad’s key breakthrough came in the 22nd over, when he dismissed the dangerous King (44) with a leg-break that was edged to wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan. He struck again after two balls to dismiss Sherfane Rutherford with another perfect leg-break.
He completed his five-wicket haul by returning Roston Chase to become the first Bangladeshi leg-spinner to take a five-wicket haul in ODIs and only the second in the world to claim the first five wickets of an ODI innings, after Sri Lanka’s Jeffrey Vandersay.
He returned to wrap up the innings with his sixth wicket, removing Jayden Seales, to finish a remarkable spell that sealed Bangladesh’s first win after five consecutive ODI defeats, including a series sweep by Afghanistan.
‘I was actually within my process. Initially, I had a little trouble adjusting for an over or two, but later I covered everything well,’ he said.
Rishad credited the team’s belief for the turnaround.
‘Actually, all 11 of us had the belief that we would fight until the last ball. We weren’t worried about the result at all. We just tried to focus on how we would fight and stay in our process,’ said Rishad.
On the newly prepared Mirpur wicket, Rishad said patience had been key for the batters.
‘You saw what the wicket was like. So maybe our batsmen were able to read that if they played with a little patience here, we could finish well later. The plan was just to carry on. Winning on any wicket is what matters most to me.’
The second match of the series will be held at the same venue on Tuesday.