Hider biding his time

With the revolving door of juniors coming in and going out of the Bangladesh national team, Abu Hider's is not a name that pops readily to mind when thinking of bright prospects.

His words reveal his rookie status -- he is yet to make his ODI debut -- as every answer about this month's Asia Cup in UAE was qualified with the proviso of 'if I am picked'. With tried and tested Rubel Hossain likely to be the third pacer to join skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Mustafizur Rahman in the opening match against Sri Lanka on September 15, Hider may have to wait for his debut yet, but his good showings in T20Is will give him hope that Asia Cup may be his time.

The left-arm pacer has been quietly bolstering his reputation in the five T20Is he has played this year after missing more than he played since his debut in January 2016. 

"I am trying to learn from the seniors and gather experience as best as I can. We are four pacers, and when two or three are doing well it creates the aspiration to do better in order to be in the team and play matches," Hider told reporters after a light practice session in Mirpur yesterday.

Abu Hider (L) of Bangladesh fields the ball during the 2nd T20i match between West Indies and Bangladesh at Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on August 4, 2018. Photo: AFP

Although the scoreboard may not show it, he was integral to Bangladesh's series-clinching win in his most recent game -- the third T20I against West Indies in Florida exactly a month ago. He kept the lid on West Indies in an opening spell of two overs for just 13 runs when the Caribbean side were chasing 186.

He has shown that he can keep his cool when under attack with his mixture of yorkers and off-cutters, but he says he has been working on a few more tricks.

"I just had the off-cutter before, but now I am trying the back-of-the-hand slower and the knuckle ball. Trying my yorkers. I am trying to perfect these in practice," Hider said.

As part of the junior group often accused of riding the seniors' coattails, Hider admitted that the juniors need to do more while maintaining that they do play the supporting role.

"It is not as if us juniors are not supporting the team. The seniors are performing well continuously and now it is time for us juniors to perform like that as well. If we can support them more then we will see that while now we are winning five or six out of 10 matches, we will then win seven or eight."