Hobart Hurricanes have gone to considerable lengths to retain Bangladesh leg-spinner Rishad Hossain for the upcoming Big Bash League season, despite signing Australian star Adam Zampa to strengthen their spin attack.
Rishad will return for a second consecutive season with the Hurricanes after impressing in his BBL debut campaign, with the franchise valuing both his performances and his eagerness to return.
Hobart general manager of high performance Salliann Beams told Australian media that Rishad’s desire to rejoin the team played a significant role in the decision.
“Rishad made it very clear to us that he thoroughly enjoyed his time in Hobart last season and wanted to come back. That was really important to us,” Beams said.
The signing of Zampa, who joined from Melbourne Renegades, prompted some changes to Hobart’s squad plans. However, the franchise did not want to miss the opportunity to bring back a bowler of Rishad’s quality.
“With the addition of Adam Zampa, our squad had changed a little. But when a quality player like Rishad is so keen to return to Hobart, we wanted to explore every possible avenue to make that happen,” Beams said.
Rishad gave Hobart plenty of reasons to retain him after an outstanding first season in the competition. He took 15 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 20.86, with an economy rate of 7.82 and best figures of three for 26. He finished as the team’s leading wicket-taker and was named the Hurricanes’ Player of the Year.
Beams was particularly impressed by how quickly the Bangladesh spinner adapted to Australian conditions.
“He was outstanding for us last season. To come into the Big Bash for the first time, play every game and finish as our leading wicket-taker shows what a good bowler he is. It also demonstrates how quickly he can adapt to Australian conditions,” she said.
Although both Zampa and Rishad are leg-spinners, Hobart believe their contrasting strengths will give the team greater flexibility when selecting its bowling attack.
“We now have two high-quality leg-spinners in our squad, and they have different strengths. That gives us some great options depending on the conditions and the opposition’s batters,” Beams said.
She added that Zampa’s experience as one of the world’s leading white-ball bowlers would complement Rishad’s effectiveness in the middle overs.
“Adam has been one of the best white-ball bowlers in world cricket for a long time. Last season, we saw how dangerous Rishad can be in the middle overs. Having both of them gives us many more options and adds another dimension to our bowling attack,” she said.
Hobart had originally selected Rishad in the BBL’s 14th-season draft, but he could not join the franchise because of his Bangladesh Premier League commitments. He eventually made his debut for the Hurricanes last season and quickly established himself as a key member of their bowling attack.
The Hurricanes will begin their next BBL campaign against Brisbane Heat on December 17.
