Hasan Mahmud is now Kent’s “poster boy”. He has not played many matches, and the Bangladesh pace bowler is currently featuring in only his fourth game for the English county club. Yet that has been enough to make an impact. Hasan has now become the team’s main bowling threat.
He was once again the team’s best bowler against Derbyshire yesterday, Tuesday. Hasan bowled 15.5 overs, conceded just 30 runs and claimed a team-high four wickets.
How is Hasan producing his best in these unfamiliar conditions? What was his bowling plan against Derbyshire yesterday, Tuesday? The answer lies in Hasan’s own words, published on Kent Cricket’s website. Speaking about his bowling, Hasan said, “On a new wicket, my plan was to focus on hitting the right length and conceding as few runs as possible.”
His figures clearly show that Hasan managed to execute that plan. He bowled almost 16 overs and conceded fewer than two runs per over on average. Hasan was not the only Bangladeshi representative to impress for Kent on Tuesday. Khaled Ahmed also made an immediate impact, taking three wickets on his county debut for Kent.
Hasan and Khaled were effectively Kent’s two best bowlers against Derbyshire yesterday. Their excellent bowling helped bowl Derbyshire out for 300 in the first innings on their home ground.
Hasan also expressed his delight at Khaled’s performance.
“I was certainly pleased to have Khaled alongside me as a bowling partner. I am very happy for him. He took three wickets in his first match for Kent. Hopefully, he will do well in the next innings as well.”
Hasan has also noticed how pleased Bangladesh supporters are to see two of their compatriots playing for Kent. He said, “People in Bangladesh are also very happy that two of us are playing for Kent. Especially after what happened in Australia, this has become even more special for us.”
Surely, you know the story of what happened in Australia!