Mehidy Hasan. (Photo Source: Youtube/BangladeshCricket)
Bangladesh’s rising cricket star, Mehidy Hasan has revealed his dream of replicating his stellar performance from the 2016 Under-19 World Cup on the international stage. The young all-rounder made a name for himself by winning the Player-of-the-Tournament award in the prestigious age-level event, where he scored 242 runs and took 12 wickets.
Mehidy Hasan, primarily known for his off-spin, has been gradually enhancing his batting skills, and he now stands as a potential full-fledged all-rounder. He showcased his newfound prowess with both bat and ball in the team’s tournament opener against Afghanistan, a performance that hints at his growing maturity as a player.
“If I can perform all-round in a big tournament, it will be a huge achievement for me and for the team as well. I certainly have that dream of translating the performance of the 2016 Under-19 World Cup,” Mehidy told reporters at the post-match.
His elevation to the number three batting position in recent warm-up matches against Sri Lanka and England indicates the team’s growing confidence in his batting abilities. Mehidy attributes his success to mental preparation, stating,
“I am scoring runs from the India series because I have worked really hard on my batting. I was thinking about how I can bat well because if I can, the team will benefit, and I prepared mentally for that. The team supported me a lot and played me in different positions, and that is a big thing for me,” said Mehidy.
Adaptability is key to Mehidy’s approach, as he emphasized the importance of being flexible with one’s role in the team. He’s willing to bat in various positions to contribute to the team’s success and seize any opportunity that comes his way.
Mehidy also credited skipper Shakib al Hasan for his valuable advice during a drinks break, which helped him regain his bowling form.
“I didn’t bowl well in the first over and gave away nine runs, and at that point, I was a bit nervous. Shakib bhai told me not to bowl with a negative mindset; that I have to have a positive mind. In this kind of big tournament, you have to have a positive mindset, and there is no problem if I leak runs, but the batters need to charge me and try to score runs. These little things help a lot,” he added.