Rubel Hossain

Perhaps the fastest bowler Bangladesh have produced, right-armer Rubel Hossain has a slingy action and a fondness for the short ball. He made an immediate impact in his first ODI, in 2009, taking match-winning figures of 4 for 33 against Sri Lanka, though it took 19 matches after that debut four-for before he bettered that showing, with 4 for 25 against New Zealand at the same venue, Mirpur.

Rubel began by playing tape-ball cricket in his hometown, Bagerhat in south-west Bangladesh, and his talents came to wider notice through a fast-bowler-hunt programme in which he topped the speed gun. He made his cricket debut in 2007, against Khulna Division, for whom his hero Mashrafe Mortaza, who later captained Rubel in internationals, played.

Rubel started his Test career like he had his ODI one, taking three wickets in his first Test innings (but none through the remainder of that Test tour to West Indies). About six months later, his first and only Test five-for reduced New Zealand to 158 for 5 in Hamilton, though they recovered to post a big total and eventually a crushing win. Rubel's best ODI performance too came against New Zealand, in Mirpur, when he took 6 for 26 in his side's win in the first ODI of the 2013 home series, which they went on to win 3-0. Three and a bit months later, he produced his most sustained run in the format, taking seven wickets in three matches against Sri Lanka, also in Mirpur. In T20Is too, he reserved his best for New Zealand, against whom he took consecutive three-wicket hauls in Mount Maunganui early in 2017. In domestic T20, Rubel has most frequently turned out for Dhaka Dominators and Rangpur Riders in the BPL, but he excelled when he moved to Sylhet Strikers in 2023, taking 14 wickets in eight games.