I don’t think Rishad Hossain is currently prepared for red-ball cricket: Najmul Hossain Shanto

Najmul Hossain Shanto, the captain of Bangladesh, stated that he does not believe Rishad Hossain, the rising star from the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, is currently prepared to play the longest version of the game for Bangladesh.

The World Cup-winning cricketer Mushtaq Ahmed, the coach of spin bowling, just left his position, and the captain also spoke about it. He stressed that Rishad’s development was not only Mushtaq’s doing, pointing out that other local instructors had a substantial contribution as well.

Shanto told the media today at an event in the capital’s Pragati Sarani, “I think it would be better to ask this to the selectors, but from my experience, I don’t think he [Rishad] is fully ready for red-ball cricket at the moment,” according to The Daily Star.

“He [Mushtaq] performed admirably with us, without a doubt. However, I don’t want to single out Mushtaq Ahmed for praise. Before that, Rishad had been taken care of by the local coaches. In addition to being a World Cup winner, Mushtaq Ahmed was a long-time player and coach. Shanto said that he truly benefited from sharing with Rishad some of his experiences and tactical knowledge.

Shanto added that Rishad profited immensely from Mushtaq’s abundance of expertise and technical knowledge. In terms of motivation, local instructors like Sohail Islam were also very important. Shanto felt optimistic about the future, believing the Bangladesh Cricket Board would make a well-informed choice that would serve the team’s interests.

“He received a lot of technical assistance from local coaches. They gave him encouragement and identified his weaknesses. Rishad Hossain had already worked with a few other local coaches, including Sohail Islam.

Therefore, I think Mushtaq and the local coaches both deserve recognition. The BCB will choose going forward whatever coaching staff is best for us, and I think they always have our best interests at heart,” Shanto continued.

With 14 dismissals at the end of the T20 World Cup 2024, Rishad tied for third place in terms of most wickets taken, however he hasn’t yet made his Test debut for the Tigers. The two-match Test series that Bangladesh will play in Pakistan in August raises a lot of questions regarding whether Rishad would be selected for the red-ball format.

Shanto’s claim is reasonable because the 22-year-old leg-spinner is still getting started in local four-day events. However, one reason for his lacklustre performance in the red-ball format could be the widespread indifference of domestic teams towards wrist spinners. The leg-spinner has claimed just 26 wickets at a very low strike rate of 81.2 in the 19 FC games he has appeared in so far.