Hasan credits disciplined bowling for historic hat-trick against Afghanistan

Bangladesh pacer Hasan Mahmud credited disciplined bowling and movement off the pitch for his historic hat-trick against Afghanistan, which helped put his side in a commanding position after Day 3 of the one-off Test in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Hasan became the first Bangladeshi fast bowler to claim a Test hat-trick, dismissing Ismat Alam, Zia-ur-Rehman and Qais Ahmad in three consecutive deliveries during Afghanistan’s first innings.

He finished with figures of 5-55 as the hosts were bowled out for 240, giving Bangladesh a 106-run first-innings lead.

“I saw that there was a lot of movement on the wicket. So my plan was to bowl on top of the ball and make it swing,” Hasan said after the day’s play. 

“I tried to make as many batsmen face the new ball as possible. I tried to bowl straight. So, Alhamdulillah, I was successful.”

Hasan said he focused on maintaining his line and length rather than making special plans to take wickets, trusting the process that had guided his bowling.

He also credited fellow pacer Ebadot Hossain for setting the tone, saying their partnership with the ball helped Bangladesh bowl Afghanistan out in the first session.

“Our bowling partnership has been very good since morning. Ebadot started well. Then I bowled from the other end. Then we bowled them all out in the first session,” he said.

Bangladesh ended the third day at 223-6 in their second innings, extending their overall lead to 329 runs. Mushfiqur Rahim scored 81 and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto made 82, despite both missing out on centuries.

Hasan said Bangladesh would look to add more runs on the fourth day and set Afghanistan a challenging target.

“We have taken a good lead at the end of the day, and, Inshallah, tomorrow we will try to score a few more runs as much as possible and give them a big target,” he said.