Miraz sees room for growth in Rishad's ODI game

Bangladesh One Day International captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz said on Monday that leg-spinner Rishad Hossain needs to further develop his 50-over game after being underutilised with the ball in the last two series against Pakistan and New Zealand.

The Tigers will take on the Aussies in the opener of the three-match ODI series on Tuesday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.

Rishad, who enjoyed a positive stint in the Big Bash League where he was the joint-highest wicket-taker among spinners with 15 scalps, is expected to be an important option for Bangladesh against the Australian batters.

However, Miraz suggested that the leggie still has work to do before cementing his place in the ODI side.

“Rishad is playing domestic cricket and, as you can see, he is also playing various franchise leagues. He is becoming more confident and is settling himself. I think if he wants to establish himself even more, he will have to perform even better,” he said.

“And one thing you have to keep in mind is that franchise T20 cricket and ODI cricket are two different games. But he has to be more proactive because he has not played many matches in the ODI format. I think when the opportunity comes, he will understand it himself,” he added.

When Miraz was asked about not using Rishad extensively in recent ODI series, the Bangladesh captain noted that the leg-spinner still needs to improve, although he did not specify which areas required development.

“He is obviously a very important bowler for us and we certainly trust him. But you have to remember that T20 and ODI cricket are different formats. In ODIs, sometimes you need to control the run rate and sometimes you need wickets,” he stated.

“I think he still has a few areas to improve. If he improves further, it will help us a lot, and in the future he can become a very good bowler for us. So I think opportunities will be there for him, and he needs to continue developing himself,” he concluded.