Persistence pays off as Mosaddek sparkles on comeback

Mosaddek Hossain had only two options during his four years in the wilderness. Either leave the race after being rejected year after year, or fight till the end.

It was not easy for the all-rounder, as he had to deal with repeated rejections during Minhazul Abedin's tenure as chief selector, while his successor, Gazi Ashraf Hossain, made it clear that Mosaddek wouldn't be in the team's plans as long as Bangladesh ODI skipper Mehidy Hasan remained in the side.

Mosaddek opted not to give up. This year, the right-handed batter scored 310 runs in six innings at an average of 77.50 and a strike rate of 129.17, including one century and two half-centuries, for Abahani Limited in the Dhaka Premier League. He also picked up 12 wickets. Eventually, he forced his way back into contention, compelling the national selectors to recall him for the three-match ODI series against Australia.

Mosaddek knew he needed to seize this rare opportunity, and he did exactly that. He finished as the hosts' highest run-scorer with 157 runs in the series, while also claiming two wickets, earning the Player-of-the-Series award.

"I think it's a blessing for the team. The way he played after returning after four years I don't think he looked like someone who had been away," Mehidy Hasan said after their historic series win over Australia on Sunday.

"I am very happy with his performance. He batted and bowled well. I believe the hard work he put in during domestic cricket is finally paying off. It has set a great tone for us because we had been struggling to find a reliable lower-middle-order batsman for a long time. I feel he has served that role perfectly," he added.

Mosaddek's performances hardly came as a surprise to coach Hannan Sarkar, who had observed him closely in the Abahani setup. "I am not surprised with his performance at all," Hannan told Cricbuzz.

"What's happened with him is that he's a specialist number five or six. Players batting at those positions have to bat under very different circumstances – sometimes they come in at the 10th over, sometimes at the 40th. So what the team demands in that situation – he knows that terrain very well.

"When he went in to bat, it was familiar territory for him – which spinners were bowling, what was happening. It was exactly the right time for him to get set and show intent. The same intent he shows in the Dhaka Premier League too. What it came down to was that this environment is very familiar to him. What was needed was to execute it according to his ability."

Hannan confessed that Mosaddek had given up hope at one stage before changing his outlook after seeing an opportunity to make a comeback following the retirements of seniors Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim.

"Honestly, he had given up hope. If you look at the last two years, hope has started to stir again – and that position has also opened up. When did he give up hope? When Mushfiq, Riyad, Sakib were all playing regularly. Three years ago, they were our regular players. Naturally, when they're playing that spot, Mosaddek's hope fades. What happened in between was that as they stepped away, no other player could prove themselves in that position in those three years," said Hannan.

"So his hope started to revive over the last two years as Sakib, Mushfiq, Tamim, Riyad gradually moved aside. Because when you have no aim, everything feels different – but when you see that there's something ahead to achieve, you start thinking about yourself differently again."

Mosaddek, regarded as one of the country's finest players of spin, also stepped out of his comfort zone during training sessions at Abahani, knowing fully well that he needed to improve against both spin and pace.

"What happened at Abahani is that he used to bat a lot against spinners – still does. With pace bowling, if the wicket is good he does it, otherwise he doesn't. When the wicket was good in the nets, he batted against pace. When the wicket wasn't good, he played spin," said Hannan.

"This year we've been doing it on concrete wickets at the academy ground. When he felt like he needed to face some pace, he did it on the concrete wicket to hone his skill against pace balls.

"But normally his preparation is always against spin, and he's very comfortable. And what you need to play spin is footwork. That footwork has improved through regular practice. It was always there to an extent, but the confidence to go to the ball, reach for it, keep your body balanced – he regularly makes this part of his routine," he said.

"I think over the last two years, there's been a small shift in everything – like rediscovering yourself and playing with the hope of making a comeback at national set-up," he added.

Mosaddek insisted that he is aiming to leave a lasting impact with a view to being part of the 2027 World Cup, and it certainly appears that he has begun on the right note.