Being a ‘regular feature in ODIs’ helped Mehedi climb to 2nd in rankings

Bangladesh all-rounder Mehedi Hasan Miraz expressed his joy after climbing to the second spot in the ICC ODI bowlers' rankings and stated that being a regular feature in the Tigers' ODI squad since 2018 helped him achieve the milestone.

"When I started playing for the national team, I only played Test matches. I didn't get chances to play ODIs initially. I got a proper chance to play ODI in 2018 during the West Indies tour and we won the series. Since then I've been playing ODI regularly. I have played in the Asia Cup, faced the West Indies at home, went to Ireland and played the World Cup [in England]. But that West Indies series [in 2018] was my breakthrough. I've been performing since then with the grace of the almighty," said the 23-year-old cricketer. 

The youngster also explained how getting an opportunity to play in the World Cup boosted his confidence. 

"Playing the World Cup has increased my confidence as I faced world-class players at that time. My goal was not to let the batsmen dominate me. I have always tried to focus on the little details. 

"In ODI cricket, batsmen have an urgency to score more runs, so I strived to limit that. My main focus was to maintain a good economy rate," Mehedi revealed his mindset in the ODIs.

Mehedi was grateful for the constant support of his teammates throughout his career. The off-spinner also stressed the importance of bagging the remaining 10 points from the Tigers' ongoing series against Sri Lanka. 

Bangladesh have already sealed their first-ever bilateral series victory against Sri Lanka with their thumping 103-run win in the second ODI on Tuesday. Mehedi, whose four wickets proved pivotal in helping Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka in the first match of the three-match ODI series last Sunday, remained adamant about winning the final game on Friday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. 

"We can not relax. This is a game of points and these [available] 10 points are very important for us since there are qualification rounds [for the 2023 World Cup in India]. Alhamdulillah, I'm happy to win the series but these 10 points are equally important for us to collect."