Rishad Hossain made a sensational debut in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Thanks to the Bangladeshi leg-spinner’s magic, Lahore Qalandars secured their first win of the tournament in their second match. On Sunday (April 13), Rishad took 3 wickets for 31 runs at a crucial time against Quetta Gladiators.
After such an outstanding performance, Lahore captain Shaheen Shah Afridi showered Rishad with praise. Speaking at the post-match presentation, the Lahore skipper said, “When we included Rishad in the playing XI, we had the idea that he could take wickets in the middle overs. David Wiese couldn’t play this match, and Rishad was the best choice for that role.”
Rishad didn’t get a chance in Lahore’s opening match against Islamabad United. However, leaving the Bangladeshi spinner on the bench didn’t work out well — Lahore suffered a heavy 8-wicket defeat to Islamabad.
Thus, Lahore had to tweak their team combination for the second match. Rishad was given his opportunity. Batting first on Sunday, Lahore posted a big total of 219 for 6, thanks to fifties from Fakhar Zaman and Sam Billings.
On his PSL debut, the young Bangladeshi leg-spinner weaved his magic with the ball. Chasing a big target, Quetta was under pressure right from the start. By the seventh over, when Rishad came into the attack, Quetta had already lost 4 wickets for just 62 runs. Rishad gave away 7 runs in his first over.
In his second over, Rilee Rossouw showed signs of launching a counterattack with a six. But Rishad quickly dismissed the South African with a brilliant googly.
Rishad took his remaining two wickets in his final over, the 13th of the innings. On the first ball, he clean bowled Mohammad Amir with a superb leg-break. Then, on the fourth ball of the over, he had Abrar Ahmed caught at deep backward square by Mohammad Naim. Thanks to Rishad’s spell, Lahore eventually sealed a commanding 79-run victory.
Last year, Rishad missed out on opportunities to play in Canada’s Global T20 and Australia’s Big Bash League. But this time, the doors have opened for him. Ahead of the ongoing PSL, he was placed in the Diamond Category during the players’ draft, with a salary of 85,000 US dollars. He received a full No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to participate in the entire tournament.
