New Delhi, Oct 15 (IANS) The Hobart Hurricanes have secured the return of Bangladesh leg-spinner Rishad Hossain for Big Bash League 16, retaining one of their most effective bowlers from last season as they prepare to pair him with Australian international Adam Zampa.

Hossain’s re-signing gives the defending squad a potent spin combination heading into the new campaign, with the 24-year-old having made an immediate impression during his first taste of the Big Bash League.

In 12 appearances last season, the Bangladesh international claimed 15 wickets at an average of 20.86 and an economy rate of 7.82. His best performance yielded figures of 3-26, and his consistency across the campaign earned him the Hurricanes’ BBL Player of the Year award.

For Hobart, bringing Hossain back was a priority despite the addition of Zampa, whose extensive experience in international white-ball cricket adds another dimension to the side’s bowling resources.

Hurricanes General Manager – High Performance Salliann Beams said the spinner’s enthusiasm for returning to the franchise helped facilitate the agreement.

“Rishad made it really clear to us that he loved his time in Hobart last season and wanted to come back, and that certainly meant a lot to us. Our list had taken a slightly different shape with the addition of Adam Zampa, but when a player of Rishad’s quality is so determined to return to the Hurricanes, we wanted to explore every opportunity to make that happen.

“He was outstanding for us last season. To come into the Big Bash for the first time, play every game and finish as our leading wicket-taker showed the quality he has and how quickly he adapted to Australian conditions. We now have two high-quality leg-spinners who bring different strengths and give us some really exciting options depending on conditions and match-ups.

“Adam has been one of the outstanding white-ball bowlers in world cricket for a long period of time, while we saw last summer just how dangerous Rishad can be through the middle overs. To have both of them as part of our squad gives us enormous flexibility and adds another dimension to our bowling attack,” Beams said in a statement.

Hossain’s continued presence also brings an end to a longer wait for the Hurricanes. The franchise selected him during the BBL|14 draft, but his commitments to the Bangladesh Premier League meant he could not join the squad that season.

His Big Bash debut finally arrived the following summer, when he quickly established himself as a key wicket-taking option. His ability to vary his pace, extract turn and challenge batters through the middle overs made him an important part of Hobart’s bowling plans.

The return also offers Hossain an opportunity to build on a breakthrough season in Australian conditions while continuing to develop his reputation on the international T20 circuit.

With Zampa bringing proven experience and Hossain offering a fresh, attacking option, Hobart now have two specialist leg-spinners capable of being deployed according to opposition line-ups and match situations.

–IANS

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