Bangladesh’s 24-year-old Hasan Mahmud on September 19 made India’s top batters dance to his tunes in overcast conditions at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. Mahmud got skipper Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli’s wickets in his first spell with the new ball after skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and opted to bat first. He became the first touring pacer to take three wickets and conceded less than 10 runs in first 10 overs of a Test.
Mahmud became a sensation within a session. While Taskin Ahmed and superfast Nahid Rana remained wicketless despite help from conditions, Mahmud honed in on his lengths and reaped the rewards. But who is Hasan Mahmud and how he has managed to terrorise Indian and Pakistan bowlers within a month’s time?
Hasan Mahmud as a teenager
Mahmud is a product of Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) age-group structure. In 2018 Under-19 World Cup, he was Bangladesh’s second-highest wicket-taker with nine wickets from six games. His best of three wickets for 29 runs came against England.
Hasan Mahmud’s debut across formats
Mahmud was never the fastest or the tallest who can generate extra bounce. However, he rose through the ranks for his ability to pitch it up with enough pace and forced the batter to play. In 2020, he made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe where he remained wicketless but conceded 25 runs from his quota of four overs.
In 2021, he made his ODI debut, he was impressive against West Indies. He cleaned up the tail taking three wickets for 28 runs in six overs helping Bangladesh bowl out West Indies for 122 in Mirpur.
However, he had to wait for his Test debut till 2024. Against Sri Lanka in Chattogram, he claimed six wickets including a four-fer in the second. Bangladesh ended up losing the Test by 192 runs as they were able to post a mammoth total of 531 in the first innings.
Hasan Mahmud’s stellar show in Rawalpindi
Last month, his first wicket on Pakistan soil was opener Abdullah Shafique. In the first Test, he took three wickets. He reserved his best for the second innings of second Test in Rawalpindi. After bagging two wickets with the new ball, he used reverse swing to trouble Pakistan batters. In-form Mohammad Rizwan fell to him and Mahmud went on to claim his maiden five-wicket haul in the format. Bangladesh went on to win the Test and complete a historic cleansweep in the two-Test series.
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