Returning to the Bangladesh side in style after four years. allrounder Mosaddek Hossain said that he had never given up on his dream of making it back to the national team. In the first ODI against Australia on Tuesday, his first international appearance since November 2022, Mosaddek made an unbeaten 86, picked up two wickets,. took a superb running catch.
That all-round effort helped Bangladesh win by 86 runs; it was only their second ODI win over Australia in 23 attempts,. it helped them go 1-0 up in the three-match series.
"Definitely. there was frustration as it wasn't an easy time for me," Mosaddek said of his time away from the Bangladesh team. "Some of you may have seen my struggle. But I always tried to be patient, and complete my job. I always thought that whenever I got the opportunity, I would grab it with both hands. I think I got more than I expected from Allah.
"I always held the belief that the way I was performing in domestic cricket for the last few years. I would at least get one opportunity. I tried to stay in the present. I didn't think that there was any feeling [of injustice] from the past. I always stayed ready for the next opportunity when I played matches or when I was working hard in the nets."
During his time out of the national team, Mosaddek was one of the best performers in domestic cricket in Bangladesh. He led Abahani Limited to three Dhaka Premier League titles, scoring 300-plus runs every season. taking 70 wickets across four seasons with his offspin. Mosaddek was also averaging 67.20 with the bat and 20.33 with the ball in nine games for Abahani this season. Suffice to say there was form. belief within him, and it was about taking it one step higher and into international cricket.
"This definitely was my best match at this level," he said. "I would have also kept my strike rate in mind when playing in a similar situation in domestic cricket too. So I tried to shift that mentality from domestic cricket to the international match. It is Allah's grace that I could be useful for my team, and I wish to continue it this way."
Mosaddek said the team management gave him a clear message to express himself in the middle. He said the coaches also explained to him what his role. pace of his innings should be, which is why he pressed the accelerator even when he had 7.4 overs to bat with the tailenders.
"I am thankful to the team management for the way they backed me. They gave me such freedom," Mosaddek said. "They just told me to enjoy myself. so I didn't really feel that I was out there after a long gap. I just reacted with the bat according to the situation. I had a long discussion yesterday with [Mohammad] Salahuddin sir and [Mohammad] Ashraful bhai [the batting coach] about my role.
"They said that if I tried to play with circumspection when we are 40 for 4. we can only get to 160 or 170, [and] we won't be able to defend that total. They said that if I tried to play at a normal pace when we are 200 for 4. it will only get us to 260 or 270. So the message was clear that we need to get somewhere around 300 or 320 on a good wicket."
Mosaddek said Bangladesh were aiming for a 300-plus total given how the pitch felt,. when Litton Das was dismissed in the 22nd over, the batters had to rethink their goal.
"I think it was a 300-320 wicket if you remember how it played since morning," Mosaddek said. "We were discussing in the dressing room that it's such a good wicket. Two quick wickets at that stage made it difficult for us.
"I think if Litton didn't get out at that point, we would have scored in excess of 300. We have achieved a historic win,. I would say that we have an opportunity now to win the ODI series. If we stick to our process, it is possible. We all have to believe that we can do it."
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