Never thought I could reach No.2 in the ODI rankings – Mehidy Hasan

Bangladesh’s spinner Mehidy Hasan expressed his surprise after he reached the No.2 rank in the latest update of the ICC ODI rankings.

Hasan stated that he never thought he would be able to reach No.2 rank. In fact, the off-spinner became only the third Bangladesh bowler to be ranked among the top two bowlers in the ICC ODI rankings.

Former Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan had achieved the numero uno position back in 2009 whereas Abdur Razzak had occupied the second place in the ICC ODI rankings in 2010.

Meanwhile, Hasan made a jump of three places after taking seven wickets in the first two ODIs against Sri Lanka. Hasan returned with 4-30 in the first ODI and then scalped 3-28 in the second match against the Island nation. Thus, the off-spinner has bowled with an impressive average of 8.29 in the first two matches for the Tigers.

“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.

Meanwhile, the off-spinner believes the 2019 World Cup gave him a lot of confidence and since then he hasn’t looked back. Hasan had scalped six wickets in seven matches of the ODI showpiece.

“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 weren’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.

The third ODI between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will take place at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium on Friday.