Heart, confidence and failure converge in Hridoy’s turnaround

Sylhet Strikers and Towhid Hridoy are seemingly turning a page. The batting order has stability with Najmul Hossain Shanto and Hridoy at the top along with the power of Zakir Hasan in the middle while Thisara Perera can still punch a hole at the death with the bat.

However, it is Hridoy's story that captures the essence as Sylhet garner attention with three wins on the trot, the latest coming against defending champions Comilla Victorians yesterday, which Hridoy was was at the heart of.

Everything seems to be falling into place for Sylhet this BPL. Sylhet-based franchises have gone trophy-less since the inception of the BPL but in Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, they have a captain who has a knack for winning BPLs.

The skipper commands the respect of his teammates while there is the also the experience of Mushfiqur Rahim to bank upon. The blend of youth and experience have worked and, importantly, the confidence given to youngsters such as Towhid Hridoy is having a great impact.

In last year's riveting final between Fortune Barishal and Comilla Victorians, the match hinged on Hridoy being able to pick up boundaries. But, needing 18 off the last three overs, he failed along with Shakib Al Hasan's Barishal.

"It's pathetic if you can't score needing six an over at the end," Barishal's then coach Khaled Mahmud had said after that game.

The match was remarkable for Hridoy, who was bitterly disappointed in his failure. But that only helped him focus on getting his approach right.

"When I did badly last year, I started thinking of how I could improve. Whenever I got the opportunity after that, I worked on my game in order to improve in T20s. I have worked on a few shots and tried working on the small details," Hridoy said yesterday after yet another player of the match performance.

A no-look shot, a flick off his pads or getting high on his ankles to guide a short Mustafizur Rahman delivery square through the off-side were all signs of a batter with newfound confidence in his ability.

In the previous game, he came out in the very first over after an early wicket and put together a 101-run stand with Najmul Hossain Shanto while scoring a 34-ball 55. He had said Mushfiqur was telling him to be ready for number three. The veterans have made him assured of his role and he has answered their call spectacularly so far.

"There was a lack of T20 experience before. I am getting support and understanding the responsibility of batting in the top order," he added, having hit a six off the first delivery he faced yesterday.

"We have been given the freedom and the coach and everyone concerned supports us. Maybe we won't be successful every day but if we keep our approach right, we will be successful more often than not. I try to work on my range all the time. BCB gave me opportunity in the high-performanece and national camp and I tried to take my opportunity. I am grateful they included me even though I wasn't doing well," he said.

He still remembers the BPL final last year. "I was very down mentally. If I had hit one or two boundaries, the game could have changed. Although I wasn't a batter for that position (in the death overs), right down the order. I tried till the last delivery. People try to find success from failures and I tried to go forward," he added.

An Under-19 World Cup winner, his domestic performances had not caught attention. Two performances and three wins on the trot means the team mojo is finally going his and Sylhet's way this BPL.