For years, off-spinner Md Rubel toiled in the lower-tier leagues before his career took off at last year’s NCL T20, where he claimed 10 wickets for Chattogram Division and was named Promising Player of the Tournament. Since then, he has featured in the Bangladesh Premier League and Dhaka Premier League and is now representing the High Performance XI in the ongoing Top End T20 Series in Australia. On his first overseas tour, the 30-year-old has emerged as a standout performer, taking 20 wickets in six matches, including a five-wicket haul against NT Strike on Friday that helped secure the Bangladeshi side’s semifinal spot. Rubel recently spoke to The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan about his unlikely rise, his first overseas experience and his hopes of reaching the national team, and more. Excerpts follow:
The Daily Star (DS): Since this is your first time travelling abroad, how does it feel overall?
Md Rubel (MR): I had a bit of a problem with the food initially, but now it’s fine. There’s a Bengali restaurant, and now I go there regularly.
DS: We know that Australian conditions are not very favourable for spinners. However, you are currently the highest wicket-taker in the ongoing Top End T20 Series. How do you feel about it?
MR: The tournament here is actually very competitive. Almost all the teams here are good. I am simply trying to bowl to my strengths. I am focusing on what I can control.
DS: The national team recently played in Darwin as well. You guys are playing on the exact same grounds. Are the matches being played on different wickets?
MR: No, the matches were played on the same wickets. The wicket is not bad, and it’s not too extreme either. The games aren’t high-scoring, and there is some assistance for the spinners.
DS: Is there an added challenge since you are bowling first in almost every match?
MR: I bowl during the powerplay in every match. Here, the initial powerplay is four overs. So out of those first four overs, I am bowling the second and the fourth overs. Then, after 10 overs, the batsmen can take a two-over powerplay whenever they want. I am bowling during that powerplay as well. Captain trusts me in the powerplay, and Alhamdulillah, it is going well.
DS: Your rise over the last few months has been massive. Could you tell us a bit about how this journey was?
MR: To be honest, I used to do normal off-spin before. I didn't bowl so many variations. I started working on these variations back during the 2023-24 Second Division when I played there last time. I was among the top wicket-takers, taking 37 wickets in probably 14 matches. The next year in the First Division, I picked up 43 wickets in 15 matches. That year, I was also the highest wicket-taker in the First Division. After becoming the highest wicket-taker in the First Division, they included me in the NCL (National Cricket League) for Chattogram Division. I played one First-Class match, but everything took off after performing well in the T20 format.
I also performed well in the NCL that year. I think I got 10 wickets in the NCL T20. After playing well there, I was named the Emerging Player of the NCL. Because of these performances, I expected that I might get a chance in the BPL since I had performed well in the T20 format. Initially, I wasn’t picked in the players’ draft, but after a few news articles were published, I was included and later picked by Rajshahi Warriors. I got to play three matches in the BPL. After doing well in the BPL, I got 20 wickets in the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) this year. I was third in bowling. After that, I got called up to the HP (High Performance) team.
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Photo: NT Cricket
DS: So Rubel, as you were saying, the NCL T20 was actually the turning point that changed your career.
MR: Yes, the elite-level players play there. Before that, I had played and performed well in the First and Second Divisions. I also played in the Premier League for the first time this year.
DS: Did you start playing cricket late, or were you just not getting opportunities?
MR: No, I didn't start playing late. I started playing cricket in 2011. In 2011, I played my first qualifying match in Dhaka. After that, I had a two-year gap. Then, from 2014, I played Second Division for seven to eight years in Dhaka. After that, I played First Division. I hadn’t played at the elite level, so things got a bit delayed for me.
DS: So, with this delay, did you ever feel frustrated or anything like that over all these years?
MR: No, I didn’t get frustrated. I just kept playing and playing. I didn't feel frustrated because the Chittagong League used to happen, and we could earn good money there. But it didn’t happen for two years. I used to play for good money in the Chittagong League. I always played for Tk 5 to 7 lakh. So, the Dhaka League and the Chittagong League kept me going. I used to earn about Tk 8 to 10 lakh, so there wasn’t much pressure.
DS: What is your biggest strength now? Which one do you feel you've mastered -- the one that separates the current Rubel from the old Rubel?
MR: When I played in the Second Division last time, before the league started, I thought I had been playing as a normal off-spinner for a long time. I decided to change things up and bring in some variations. I worked hard for two to three months before the league, focusing on my bowling and variations.
The way I bowl, it turns like a very normal off-spin. I really like doing that. Perhaps that’s why, by Allah’s grace, I am getting success with this.
DS: How important was this call-up to the HP team for your career?
MR: Naturally, it’s a matter of great joy and pride. Right after the main Bangladesh team, there are two or three top teams, and I am in one of them, to be honest. I am representing Bangladesh, and that feels great. My effort will be to play at an even higher level.
DS: And about your job as a marriage registrar (Kazi), did you do it professionally?
MR: It was actually my maternal uncle’s. I used to stay with my uncle. I used to help him register marriages, and I would get paid.
DS: When did you start this? Do you still do it, or not anymore?
MR: I still do it. If I am in Chattogram, I do it. I started it around 2008 or 2009.
DS: Now you’ve become a celebrity Kazi. Your demand must have increased compared to before.
MR: No, no. Now, if possible, I will reduce the fees.
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Photo: NT Cricket
DS: People say that you have registered around 6,000 marriages. Is that true?
MR: No, I haven’t registered that many marriages. How could I have an estimate? But I have registered so many marriages.
DS: Everyone has a goal; could you share yours?
MR: Every player wants to play for the national team, and I have the same goal. But right now, I focus on the upcoming match. What happens later is for later, but right now I focus on what’s ahead. My goal is to play well. Wherever I play, I want to perform well and improve day by day -- that’s all I think about.
