Rishad meets Hathurusingha in Sydney

Leg-spinner Rishad Hossain, who is currently featuring for Hobart Hurricanes in Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL), met former Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha in Sydney on Sunday.

“He was very happy to see me, and I really enjoyed meeting him,” Rishad told Daily Sun regarding the encounter. 

Rishad made his ODI and T20I debuts for Bangladesh during Hathurusingha’s second stint as national head coach and established himself as a white-ball regular under his guidance.

Rishad was in Sydney as the Hurricanes were scheduled to play an important league match against the Sydney Sixers on Sunday at the SCG. However, the fixture was abandoned due to persistent rain. 

After winning the toss, the Hurricanes opted to bowl first, and the Sixers reached 32 without loss in five overs—with Steve Smith unbeaten on 19—before the weather intervened. Continuous showers eventually forced officials to call off the match.

Both teams shared a point, which was sufficient for the Hurricanes to become the first team to officially qualify for the BBL|15 playoffs. With 13 points from nine matches, the defending champions now sit comfortably at the top of the table, opening up a five-point gap over the sides currently outside the top four.

Rishad has played a pivotal role in the Hurricanes’ successful campaign thus far. The young leg-spinner is the team’s leading wicket-taker with 11 wickets from nine matches and is currently the highest wicket-taking spinner in this season’s Big Bash.