Bangladesh's Mehedi Hasan considers himself a proper allrounder

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Mehedi Hasan Bangladesh v England
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Bangladesh off-spinner Mehedi Hasan. (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images)

Another sensational bowler emerged from Bangladesh when Mehedi Hasan Miraz bamboozled the touring England team in his debut Test series. His first impression was that of a mystery. Mehedi picked up a seven-wicket haul in the first Test against England and just when someone thought that was a dream debut, he made it double with six-wicket knocks in consecutive innings of the second Test to ensure Bangladesh beat England for the first time in Test history.

The Bangladesh team’s decision of holding him back for the Tests despite being a part of the ODI squad ensured he was a surprise package for the visitors and that got them the best result they would have wanted. However, the 19-year-old says that he never thought he was a mystery spinner and he doesn’t want to be considered as one.

Instead Mehedi says that he is a traditional off-spinner whose game suits Test cricket and believes to have all the variations needed for an off-spinner. “I don’t think that I am a mystery spinner. I consider myself as a frontline bowler and I believe in doing all the right things for a spinner. I concentrate on doing that and I am a traditional off-spinner,” said the right-hander talking exclusively with CricTracker during the warm-up fixture against India A in Hyderabad.

He has succeeded with the bat as well in the junior level and had decent outings in first-class cricket. Mehedi scored a century on his Youth Test match debut and has 12 fifties in his 56-match career in Youth ODI cricket. He had 5 fifties in the 14 first-class innings he played before making his Test debut but has managed to score just 20 runs in 8 Test innings so far.

Also read- India undoubtedly is one of the best teams in the world: Taskin Ahmed

Despite the recent failures, he thinks that he is a capable batsman and can excel with both bat and ball at the same time at this level once he gains experience. “I consider myself a proper batsman and a capable one because I have been scoring a lot of runs in the domestic circuit. I scored at the Under-19 level as well. However, things aren’t going well for me right now as far as my batting is concerned but as I gain experience and get used to International cricket, I believe that I can score runs at the highest level as well.

Mehedi Hasan, who is the all-time leading wicket-taker in the Youth ODIs with 80 wickets to his name and is looking forward to take on India, the No.1 Test side. He feels that performing well with the ball in a game in which the top 2 Test bowlers, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will be playing, would be a moment he will remember for a long time.

I want to take it as a challenge. While bowling against the No.1 ranked Indian side; I want to perform up to my ability. Obviously, Ashwin and Jadeja in the opposition team are world class bowlers. So if I perform well in that game where the top two bowlers in Test cricket are playing, it will be a moment for me to cherish,” the off-spinner said.

He wants to learn and follow Ashwin’s game closely since has been a star spinner for his side in the last 2 years. “Yes, Ashwin is a world class cricketer. I want to consult him and get some tips after the game if I get a chance. It will be good to follow him closely on how he bowls in the match, which I think will be very useful for me as a bowler.

Though Mehedi didn’t reveal whether he is in line for an IPL contract, he did talk about the tournament being a great platform to play with some International stars. “Of course, everyone wants to play IPL. It is a big stage where you can play with some big names.

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