Test bowling winner

ESPNcricinfo Awards 2022 Test bowling winner: Ebadot Hossain makes history

One of the finest spells of fast bowling in Bangladesh's Test history came at the start of 2022

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Ebadot Hossain

6 for 46 vs New Zealand, first Test, Mount Maunganui

Bangladesh started the new year coming off a dismal 2021, with a disappointing T20 World Cup campaign and plenty of Test defeats, including losing to Pakistan by an innings at home. And New Zealand was not an easy country to tour at that point because of its stern Covid-19 protocols. Bangladesh were already feeling the mental brunt of lockdowns and bio-bubbles. But they still managed a 130-run first innings lead in the first Test in Mount Maunganui.

And then fast bowler Hossain announced himself in Test cricket three years after making his debut. He ran through the New Zealand middle order to dismiss them for 169 and finished with the second-best bowling figures by a Bangladeshi fast bowler.

Bangladesh won their first Test in New Zealand and Ebadot became an instant hero back home. He used the rest of the year to prove his performance in this Test was not a fluke, making sure he became a dependable bowler in white-ball cricket as well, soon after making his ODI and T20I debuts.

Key moment

Will Young and Ross Taylor had just helped New Zealand take the lead again towards the end of the fourth day. It seemed like New Zealand were getting a hang of the Bangladesh attack, although Ebadot had got the ball to nip back sharply twice at Taylor and the two batters had been involved in a big mix-up a few overs before.

With the third ball of the 54th over, Ebadot bowled a skiddy short-of-length delivery and nicked the top of Young's off stump before running off to salute Bangladesh fans in the stands. Two balls later, he bowled a full and straight delivery that beat Henry Nicholls' inside edge to crash into the stumps. Tom Blundell was leg-before in Ebadot's the next over.

Happy to serve: Ebadot salutes after one of his wickets © AFP/Getty Images

The numbers

0 Number of five-wicket hauls that Bangladesh's fast bowlers had taken since May 2013.

81.54 Ebadot's bowling average before the Mount Maunganui Test. It came down to 56.87 at the end of 2022.

13 Number of wickets taken by Bangladesh's fast bowlers in this match, the most in a Test for them.

What they said

"I am not surprised that Ebadot did well. I knew - and many others knew - that the day he gets it right, the opponent is finished. The bowling coach has worked hard with him. I think we are rewarded for playing him consistently in the last few Tests."
- Mominul Haque, Bangladesh captain

The closest contenders

Pat Cummins
5 for 56 vs Pakistan, third Test, Lahore

Cummins became just the fourth Australian fast bowler to bag a five-wicket haul in Pakistan and helped spark a first-innings collapse of 8 for 54. Australia went on to win the final Test by 115 runs and seal the series 1-0.

Matt Henry
7 for 23 vs South Africa, first Test, Christchurch

On the first day of the series, seamer Henry knocked South Africa over for 95 and claimed the joint-best figures by a New Zealand bowler at home and third best overall.

ESPNcricinfo Awards 2022

Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84

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