Shahadat and Mushfiq’s dreams take flight
In a recent chat with BCB’s Australian coach Jamie Siddons about promising young batsmen, he took one name in particular.
“Dipu will go far,” said Siddons.
Dipu, better known as Shahadat Hossain, is a 21-year-old batter who made an impression on the country’s cricket fans during the ICC Under-19 World Cup in 2022, where the Bangladesh team won the title for the first time.
It has been less than a month since Siddons made that statement and Shahadat has already made it into the national team’s Test squad.
Shahadat has been named in the 15-man squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Dhaka starting on 14 June.
Alongside him, pacer Mushfiq Hasan has also earned his maiden call-up to the national side. Much like Shahadat, Mushfiq also caught everyone’s eyes in age-level cricket and was part of the Bangladesh team in the 2022 edition of the U-19 World Cup.
Although the junior Tigers finished eighth in the 2022 edition, Mushfiq impressed all with his aggressive bowling. This 20-year-old pacer’s ferocity was on full display in last year’s first-class competition the National Cricket League (NCL).
In his first season, the pacer took 25 wickets in six games. The right-arm quick played a huge role in Rangpur’s title win. In the other domestic red-ball competition, the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL), he took 17 wickets in four matches.
In comparison, Shahadat’s performance graph has gone through ups and downs. Still, the talent he possesses is undeniable. In 20 first-class matches, he has scored 1265 runs and hit two centuries. In the recently concluded series against West Indies A in Sylhet, the middle-order batsman hit an unbeaten 74-run innings.
The hype around Shahadat primarily stems from his impeccable batting technique, which many believe is ideal for the longest format of the game.
Shahadat and Mushfiq had to endure a lot on their way to becoming professional cricketers. Shahadat lost his father at a young age. His elder brother Abul Hossain is an ambulance driver for Chattogram Medical College Hospital. Abul was the one who made sure his younger brother could pursue his dream of becoming a cricketer.
Despite of their poor financial condition, he admitted Shahadat into BKSP, which started Shahadat’s fairytale journey. The batsman from Chattogram rose through the ranks and became a part of the Under-19 World Cup winning squad. Now, he has reached the pinnacle of cricket by getting called up into the national team.
Mushfiq also had to fight against poverty. His father Helal Khan and mother Morsheda Khatun used to work in a readymade garments factory. Mushfiq grew up at his maternal grandmother’s home.
Mushfiq dreamed of becoming a cricketer once he grew up. He started his journey by playing in the second division of Lalmonirhat and then made his way into age-level cricket in Rangpur, then to the U-19 team.
After he started making a living from cricket, he convinced his parents to quit their jobs. Now, he is running his family with his income. Mushfiq started his journey from the grassroots of Bangladesh cricket and has now made it to the top. Now, it’s time for his dreams to take flight.