Rishad’s upside down journey in Bangladesh cricket

When Rishad Hossain came out to bat in yesterday's third ODI against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh still needed 58 off 83 deliveries with four wickets in hand.

Just 25 balls later, the match was done and dusted with Rishad, who faced 18 of those deliveries, plundering 48 runs to complete the win with 58 balls to spare.

The look of disbelief on the faces in the Bangladesh dugout said it all as they were relishing the carnage the 21-year-old was unleashing against Wanindu Hasaranga.

But what makes Rishad's innings truly special and makes him a unique figure, sort of an enigma in Bangladesh cricket, is the fact that despite being considered a future prospect for the national team, he remains a largely ignored cricketer in the domestic scenes, having played just six List-A games, which included three ODIs for the national team.

His batting exploits, which first came into focus in the preceding Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka, where he smashed 53 off 30 balls in the third match, has gone largely unnoticed in the domestic circuit, simply because he hardly ever breaks into the playing eleven.

The reason behind domestic sides' apathy towards him is the same reason why he is considered an important prospect for the national team- it's his leg-spin bowling.

The clubs in Bangladesh have always been reluctant to use wrist spinners as usually on low and slow tracks in Bangladesh the left and right-arm off-spinners are far more reliable and this tendency has denied Rishad a chance to hone his skill at the List-A level.

While batting yesterday, Rishad's partner Mushfiqur Rahim told him to go for it when 'it's in his zone', he relayed at the post-match presentation.

This shows that perhaps the national team players and management have seen something in his batting that others missed.

In the match, he also bagged the important wicket of Lankan skipper Kusal Mendis for 29, which was his maiden wicket in the ODIs after going wicketless in his first two games.

When asked if Rishad would now be the first name on the team sheet, skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto took a more cautious approach and said that he has a lot to improve upon in all departments and his leg-spin bowling remains the key.

"First of all, his bowling is very important. We don't have leg-spinners and if you look at the last New Zealand series, he has been bowling well. His batting at number seven has improved from what was seen in the New Zealand series but still he has a lot of room for improvement.

"He has been working on that but obviously we are very happy and having a player like that in the team makes the captain's job easier."

Rishad hit five fours and four sixes in his knock at a time when the match was in a tense position. His capability as a power hitter late down the order could make him an exciting option in white-ball cricket.

But for him to flourish as a bowler and a late-order batter in international cricket, he needs to play regularly in domestic cricket.

"Naturally everyone gets their chances in the national team by playing domestic cricket. Now he is playing in the national team but is not getting chances in domestic cricket. I won't say it's disappointing but the team he plays for should take care of him," Shanto said.

Rishad has been doing things his own way so far in his career and this surprise trick up his sleeve with the bat might finally open the door for him at the domestic circuit which had been shut for so long.