Volleyball player-turned cricketer Ebadot Hossain is the latest sensation of Bangladesh cricket. The Brett Lee fan took 6/46 in the Bay Oval Test to script Bangladesh’s first-ever win in New Zealand on Wednesday.
Eleven Tests, 18 wickets and a career-best of 6 for 46. Ebadot Hossain is the newest sensation of Bangladesh cricket. The 27-year-old’s maiden five-wicket haul not only helped Bangladesh inflict a huge eight-wicket win over ICC World Test champions New Zealand in the first Test at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Wednesday, it was also the Bangla Tigers’ first win in this part of the world. (More Cricket News)
Ebadot Hossain came into this Test match with 11 wickets in 10 games after making his international debut against the same opposition in 2019. At Bay Oval, The 27-year-old picked just one wicket for 75 runs but when the Kiwis batted for a second time, Ebadot Hossain rose like a sphinx.
Bangladesh replied with 458 to New Zealand’s 328 in the first innings. Just when New Zealand were cruising well on Day 4 with Will Young and Ross Taylor in the middle, Ebadot Hossain did the star turn. The right-arm pacer dismissed Young, Henry Nicholls and Tom Blundell within a space of 11 balls to put Bangladesh on top at stumps on Day 4.
Ebadot Hossain added two more to his overnight tally on the final morning before the Bangladesh batters overhauled the small 40-run target in 16.5 overs to secure a memorable victory.
Who is Ebadot Hossain? How did he become a frontline Bangladesh cricketer?
Ebadot’s first love was volleyball and that helped him join the Bangladesh Air Force in 2012. But while living in the barracks, he dreamt of bowling like former Australian pacer Brett Lee.
Besides playing volleyball, he kept honing his fast-bowling skills before taking part in a pace hunt conducted by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) in 2016.
Ebadot travelled 342 kms from his hometown Sylhet to Faridpur, finished among the top three and was picked for the BCB High-Performance programme after impressing former Pakistan cricketer Aaqib Javed.
There was no looking back for Ebadot since then. He made his first-class debut with Sylhet in the 2016-17 Bangladesh Cricket League, followed by a draft pick in the Bangladesh Premier League, by Rajshahi Kings.
However, Ebadot’s breakthrough season came at the start of the 2018-19 domestic season.
Ebadot Hossain finished with 21 wickets in the BCL. It included a 10-wicket haul against North Zone. Ebadot’s doors for the national team opened after Taskin Ahmed was injured in a 2018-19 Bangladesh Premier League game.
Bangladesh now lead the two-match Test series 1-0. The second Test against New Zealand starts on January 9 in Christchurch which is also Ross Taylor’s farewell game in whites.