‘Hungry to become a world class bowler’

Ebadot Hossain has been a great example of how hard work can help a cricketer take the next step on the world stage. The 29-year-old has become a key member of the Tigers' pace-bowling unit and once again made his impact felt during Bangladesh's record Test win against Afghanistan on a sporting Mirpur pitch. The Sylhet native was also included in the ODI and T20I squad for the upcoming Afghanistan series and the pacer spoke about his bowling, future plans, work ethic and a few other topics during a candid conversation with The Daily Star's Mazhar Uddin. The excerpts are below:

The Daily Star (DS): How satisfied were you with your bowling in the Test against Afghanistan?

Ebadot Hossain (EH): The most important thing was that we went on to the field to win. We had that hunger from the beginning. We lost badly to Afghanistan in the previous Test and I was on the bench and felt really bad. My mindset was that I would contribute to such an extent that we could beat them convincingly if I was able to play. I felt the same mindset in all my teammates. We were determined to beat them by a big margin.

Personally, I did not have a very good start to my Test career initially. So the hunger is there to become a world class bowler and I felt I needed to work even harder to reach that level. I am trying to develop my skills and execute the team's plans but I think I still have a long way to go.

DS: How do you plan to translate your bowling rhythm from Tests to limited-overs formats?

EH: I think fitness plays a very big role if you want to play across formats. I have been consulting with our trainer for the past two years. I was willing to transform into an all-format bowler mentally and physically after Tamim (Iqbal) bhai took me to the one-day side. I played the last T20 World Cup and have seven wickets in four T20Is. I have been working on my batting for the last two years with Jamie Siddons and now with Nick Pothas. I also realise the importance of being a good fielder in the limited-overs formats since there is no chance to hide.

DS: How much does having a good bond between the pacers on and off the field help?

EH: I should credit two people for this. One is former Test captain Mominul Haque bhai and the other is Ottis Gibson. The way Mominul bhai backed us was unbelievable. To me he is the best captain. He helped forge the bond between the fast bowlers by taking us to dinner and spending time building that rapport with us. The same goes for Gibson. They made us realise that once we want good for others, we will smile at each other's successes and stick together in bad times. We try to share that love with younger bowlers like Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam and others. If Taskin gets hit for a boundary, I feel the pain. And if you remember, I was the one who ran towards him and hugged him after he picked up the fifth wicket. I felt like I got that wicket. The same goes for others. This is the type of bond the bowlers share.

DS: Do you think the positive mentality of providing exposure to pacers will encourage the next generation to become fast bowlers?

EH: Since the team management has started to show the faith in us, Taskin and a few others have been phenomenal. (Such as in) The win the Mount Maunganui Test, where I was fortunately able to perform well, and the win against Afghanistan, where our pacers took 14 wickets, which was the most by our pacers in Tests. I think the entire bowling department, including spinners, are trying to contribute to wins. We want to pave the way so future generations can take things even further.

DS: Which fast bowler do you follow?

EH: I believe that if I try to become like someone else, then it's a problem. I just want to develop my skills gradually. The more I am able to achieve and help win matches, the more my confidence will grow. When I play ODI cricket, I try to stick to my strengths. In T20s, it is important to develop variations.