Sports Desk:

Rishad Hossain, who got drafted into the Big Bash team Hobart Hurricanes for the next season, said on Monday that he is looking forward to playing under Aussie great Ricky Ponting while eyeing an opportunity to play at those iconic Australian grounds.

In a Zoom press conference arranged by Cricket Tasmania, Rishad spoke about his vision for his BBL side from the UAE, where Bangladesh had just beaten Afghanistan 3-0 in a T20 series in Sharjah.

“Ponting was one of my favorite players growing up; I used to watch him play. I’m really looking forward to working with him,” Rishad said.

“More than the players, I’m looking forward to working with Ricky Ponting and playing under his coaching,” he said.

“I was asking myself what I could do to improve my game. Then I thought, if I get to play in these leagues, it will benefit me. If you look at it, those matches are held in different venues — my dream grounds to play in,” he added.

The Hurricanes picked up Bangladesh leg-spinner Rishad Hossain for the upcoming season from the draft back in June. Rishad was acquired by the same team last season as well but was not able to play in the tournament due to his commitment to the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). Despite the absence of Rishad, the Hurricanes lifted the title for the first time in BBL history.

This time around, 23-year-old Rishad is set to play for the Hurricanes since the BCB has already granted him the No Objection Letter.

“As a leg-spinner, my job is to take wickets after the powerplay. I hope to continue that in Hobart, in shaa Allah,” he said.

“As a leg-spinner, if I get to play in these foreign leagues, it will be good for me and for my bowling. I’ll get opportunities to improve my skills,” he said.

“Yes, foreign leagues offer a lot. Many top players play there, and you get to share the dressing room with them. I hope I’ll be able to gather new knowledge and experience from that,” he added.

“I believe in my strengths, and day by day I’m trying to improve — even if it’s just by one or two percent — without thinking too much about the future,” he explained.

Rishad is also working on creating new angles by bowling in front of the umpires to create an illusion for the batters — a variation he has already found some success with. “My goal is to create doubt in the batter’s mind by using different angles. It’s just another variation,” he said.

Fresh from a whitewash against Afghanistan at Sharjah, Rishad also spoke about the current state of the national side.

“Alhamdulillah, right after the Asia Cup, we got off to a good start again. It’s a good feeling, Alhamdulillah,” he said.

“You know, they have a lot of world-class bowlers in their side, so we tried to analyze them as much as we could before every game. Alhamdulillah, we got success,” he added while speaking about the Afghans.