Dhaka, Nov 4 Bangladesh spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed has said that the nation’s leading leg-spinner Rishad Hossain must now focus on perfecting variations such as the flipper, top-spin, and slider to elevate his effectiveness.
Mushtaq praised Rishad’s progress with his leg-spin and googly, along with his growing all-round skills, but stressed that mastering these additional deliveries will make him a more complete bowler.
The former Pakistan great wrapped up a two-day spin bowling camp at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, working with 12 emerging spinners as part of Bangladesh’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its spin department.
"Rishad is doing really well and taking plenty of wickets for Bangladesh. Now everyone wants to be like him - in batting, bowling, and fielding," Mushtaq told reporters following the camp.
"He (Rishad) has already mastered the leg break and googly, and the next step in his development is to perfect the flipper, top spinner, and slider," he said.
"He is learning the googly and you know, googly itself is a good art. So, he is learning googly, leg break and also flipper. So those are the things which are very important. But for Rishad, it is very important to have the basics right. When your basics and process is right, he can bowl all five, six balls," he said adding that Rishad also needs to know how to spin the ball as that is the prerequisite to succeed at international level.
"If the spinners get lots of spin from the pitches, they don't remember the process and the basics. We as coaches are working really hard. Why we have to remember the process on good pitches? If you play on good pitches internationally, you don't get spin pitches there. So, you have to spin the ball," he said.
Mushtaq, who conducted a similar camp last year, voiced confidence in Bangladesh’s expanding spin-bowling talent, saying the country’s depth in this department continues to improve. However, he emphasised that for these young spinners to thrive at the international level, they must prioritise technical precision and consistency in their development.
"The future of spin bowling here is very promising but we need to protect these youngsters and ensure their basics and processes are solid," he said.
"Here in this camp, last year also, myself and all the coaches, local coaches, we are working on the basics. So, if they can make the basics strong now, they can play wherever they want and they will be successful," he said.
"So, I think the motivation itself, confidence and everything, it comes with the process and basics. On good pitches, where there's not much turn, you must rely on your skills - and that only comes through a strong foundation."
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