Hasan Mahmud's chance to grab the spotlight

It was Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan's first net session at the BCB indoor facility following his return to international cricket ahead of the home series against West Indies. And Hasan Mahmud, a young right-arm quick, left him awestruck with his pace and variations.

Shakib was beaten quite a few times during the net session apart from getting bowled on two occasions. Shakib doubted himself, considering he hadn't picked up the bat after he was banned by the ICC for two years (one year suspended) for failing to report corrupt approaches.

To make sure that it was the bowler's skill that gave Shakib a torrid time in the nets and not his rustiness, he asked Mushfiqur Rahim to face the young pacer. And it did not take long for Shakib to understand the potential of Hasan after watching him trouble Mushfiqur, considered Bangladesh's most technically correct batter of his generation.

Since that day, January 19, 2021 to be precise, Hasan seems to have impressed everyone and that too without being in the spotlight.

Former pace bowling coach Ottis Gibson termed him as the 'future' of Bangladesh pace bowling unit while the current pace bowling coach Allan Donald has been quite impressed with his skill set as well.

While there have been talks about Bangladesh's pace revolution in the recent past, they have mainly revolved around Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Ebadat Hossain and Mohammad Saifuddin, while Hasan has flown under the radar despite being a constant fixture with the white-ball. When he is fit, Hasan is considered to be one of the quickest pacers in the country's new crop of fast bowlers.

But injury has been a major concern for Hasan. He was expected to be added to the national team following the Under-19 World Cup in 2018 in New Zealand but instead he was out of action for one and a half years due to a shoulder injury.

"He (Hasan) was having some kind of pain even during the tournament (ICC Under-19 World Cup) but did not put lot attention to it. But after returning home it was diagnosed and he had a long lay-off to recover from it," AEM Kawser, BCB's game development manager, told Cricbuzz recalling the tough times Hasan experienced.

Following his recovery from the injury, Hasan was eventually rewarded with a spot in the T20I team against Zimbabwe in 2020 after playing well in the Emerging Asia Cup and South Africa games, while he also did well in the Bangladesh Premier League.

Even when Bangladesh had to choose two pacers among Mustafizur, Shoriful and Taskin, Hasan managed to keep his place intact as the third seam bowler in the T20I setup. But a back injury that he suffered during the tour of New Zealand put a halt on his international career and he was sidelined for another year.

Hasan made his international return during the tour of Zimbabwe in the middle of 2022 after performing well for Mohammedan Sporting Club in the Dhaka Premier League, the country's traditional list 'A' tournament which also marked his return to competitive cricket after a long layoff.

Sarwar Imran, former national head coach, who guided MSC in the tournament, told Cricbuzz that his action and variety make him a unique bowler and he can go a long way if he keeps improving.

"He (Hasan) is a good bowler and he is quick. When he played for Mohammedan he just recovered from injury but with passing days he improved," said Sarowar. "I think he is unique due to his action. A batsman gets time when a bowler jumps before delivering the ball but in Hasan's case he delivers the ball a bit quicker than others. That is the reason batsmen get a bit confused and that is the reason it seems he is quick off the pitch. A bowler takes some time after jumping but he doesn't take that time," he said.

"Apart from his pace and swing, he has got quite a few variations - like he can bowl back of the hand while he also has a good leg cutter and off cutter. But he needs improve if he wants to survive in international cricket but has the potential to go a long way," Sarowar said.

Hasan has already shown his ability to mix things up. The wicket of Babar Azam with his back of the hand slower delivery during the tri-series in New Zealand is one example. More recently, when he was introduced to bowl the last over against South Africa, he outsmarted Aiden Markram.

While Taskin has been picking wickets, Hasan has looked more focused on varying his pace. He has given away 87 runs in 12 overs in the three matches that he played so far in the T20 World Cup, picking up three wickets at an economy rate of 7.25.

Bangladesh skipper Shakib seems to have a lot of faith on the young pace bowler, giving him the ball regularly in the death. And Hasan has repaid the faith by keeping his cool under pressure.

"Look it's a big thing for Hasan Mahmud to represent the country at such a young age and that too in a big stage like World Cup," Shakib told reporters ahead of their vital game against India. "We all believe that though he is young he has got a very good brain and has a good game sense, he can read the game well. I think he is going to be a big prospect for Bangladesh in future."

While the focus has been on Taskin and Mustafizur so far in the World Cup, Hasan has the chance to grab the spotlight if he does well against India. Both Taskin and Mustafizur announced their arrival through good performances against India in the past. Whether Hasan follows their path during their crucial fixture in Adelaide remains to be seen.