Hasan ‘let the ball do its job’ on way to historic hattrick

Hasan Mahmud took just one wicket on the opening day of Bangladesh’s first Test against Afghanistan, but the pacer never felt the need to abandon his process. On the third day, bowling straight and trusting the ball to do its job earned him a maiden Test hattrick and a five-wicket haul as Bangladesh took control in Abu Dhabi.

“I took only one wicket the previous day, but I was not nervous at all. I was looking forward to the next day. I just felt I needed to bowl straight, hit the line of the stumps and let the ball do its job,” Hasan said after the day’s play.

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The right-arm pacer’s patience paid off spectacularly on Sunday morning. Afghanistan, resuming on 211 for four, lost their last six wickets for just 29 runs and were bowled out for 240 in 89.1 overs. Hasan finished with five for 55, while Ebadot Hossain claimed four for 56 as Bangladesh secured a first-innings lead of 106.

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Hasan becomes first Bangladesh pacer to claim Test hattrick

Hasan’s hattrick came in the 83rd over, when he bowled Ismat Alam for one before Litton Das took a superb one-handed catch to dismiss Qais Ahmad for a duck. Zia-ur-Rehman then fell leg-before for another duck, with Bangladesh successfully overturning the on-field decision on review.

The hattrick was the first by a Bangladeshi pacer and only the third by a Bangladesh bowler in Test cricket. Hasan was quick to acknowledge his teammates’ support, particularly over the crucial review.

“Credit goes to the captain and Liton Das. They discussed it and corrected me, saying it was going to hit and that I could take the review. It feels amazing to get that kind of feedback from your teammates,” he said.

Hasan later dismissed Yamin Ahmadzai to complete his five-wicket haul, reaching 50 Test wickets in the process.

The pacer also credited his partnership with Ebadot for helping Bangladesh wrap up Afghanistan’s innings in the first session.

“Ebadot bhai gave us a good start, and then I bowled from the other end. We managed to bowl them out in the first session, which was a big plus for us,” he said.

Bangladesh, who scored 346 in their first innings, ended the third day on 223 for six in their second innings, extending their overall lead to 329 and strengthening their grip on the match.

Hasan believes the job is not finished yet, with Bangladesh looking to add more runs and set Afghanistan a challenging target.

“Inshallah, tomorrow (Monday) we will try to score as many more runs as possible and set them a big target,” he concluded.