"Never thought I could reach No. 2 in the ODI rankings"- Bangladesh spinner Mehidy Hasan
Mehidy Hasan became only the third Bangladeshi player ever to break into the top two of the ICC rankings for ODI bowlers. On the back of his impressive outing against Sri Lanka in the ongoing 3-match ODI series, Hasan jumped 3 places to move to second spot.
The spinner spoke about the impressive achievement after reaching a career-high ranking and thanked his teammates and team management for backing him consistently.
"I never thought I could reach No. 2 in the ODI rankings, so I am feeling great. I want to thank my team-mates and team management, who supported me a lot. Everyone in the team is happy for me, which is really pleasing for me. I really love it when my team-mates back me up particularly when I am down. I think it is a massive thing for a player. I don't think I would have come this far if my team-mates didn't back me in my bad days." Mehidy Hasan said in a chat with ESPNCricinfo.
Bangladesh have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the 3-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. Mehidy Hasan has been the star with the ball, picking up seven wickets across the two games while bowling at a stunning economy of 2.9.
Mehidy Hasan talks about the turning point of his ODI career
The off-spinner started as a Test specialist but soon proved his mettle in the 50-over format as well. Hasan picked the 2018 ODI series in the West Indies, where he claimed just three wickets but bowled at a miserly economy of 4.06, as the turning point of his career.
He subsequently became a regular feature in Bangladesh's ODI side, and a good outing in the 2019 World Cup instilled more confidence in him.
"I became an ODI regular from the 2018 away series in West Indies. The 2019 World Cup gave me a lot of confidence, particularly in a country where there wasn't any spin tracks. I planned so that the batsmen couldn't dominate me, even if I didn't take wickets. Small things make all the difference. It worked in a few matches - against South Africa, New Zealand and England," the 23-year-old added.
Mehidy Hasan is just 12 rating points behind top-ranked ODI bowler Trent Boult. The off-spinner will be keen to deliver in the final game against Sri Lanka, in which a win could secure a historic white-wash for the Tigers. The third ODI starts on 28 May.