'Mates said I did something special'

hattrick on debut... Young left-arm spinner Taijul islam (C) is the toast of his teammates after his unique feat -- he became the first bowler in ODI history to claim a hattrick on debut -- in the fifth and final one-dayer in Mirpur, where the Tigers completed a 5-0 whitewash of Zimbabwe yesterday. PHOTO: FIROZ AHMED

For a player who almost let out a King Kong- like celebration—he had spread his arms wide and was about to beat his chest before he decided to hug one of this teammates —after completing his hat-trick, Taijul Islam was extremely quiet in the post-match press conference.

His answers barely lasted a few seconds and there were moments when his senior colleagues sitting next to him, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, had to help him out.

TAIJUL ISLAM

Take for instance, Taijul's reaction to the record that he created in yesterday's match by becoming the first debutant to get a hat-trick wicket in the history of ODI cricket. When asked as to how he felt about the achievement, all he said was: “I think I bowled quite well in my first match.”

Asked whether he knew about the record he said: “I got to know on the field. The senior players told me that I had done something special. It felt good then.”

Even apart from the hat-trick, Taijul repeatedly bowled in the same areas. “I was not thinking about a hat-trick. I just wanted to bowl dot balls. Mushfiqur bhai asked me to bowl in line and that's what I did. Thank God I got the wicket,” blurted a relieved Taijul. 

 He ended up scalping figures of 4 for 11, a stat that's even better than Shakib Al Hasan's best in the ODIs. Not bad for a player, who was initially picked as a specialist for longer version cricket. “I don't think I am only meant for Tests. If God wills, I can do well in both the formats,” hoped the 22-year-old from Natore.