Nasir Hossain is one of cricket's mercurial assets

In the rain-hit final ODI against Sri Lanka at Kandy, Bangladesh were set a target of 183 in 27 overs. Mohammad Ashraful and Anamul Haque had given Bangladesh a fluent start before inclement weather interfered. When play resumed after a heavy shower, Bangladesh needed 105 runs in 13.2 overs. Their start was positive but as usual panic had set up amongst the batsmen as wickets were gifted to the Sri Lankans.

With the run rate climbing higher and another opportunity seemingly wasted, one man stood firm to script a historic win. That man was Nasir Hossain, who refused to get affected by the panic which let his captain Mushfiqur Rahim set off for an unnecessary run and sacrifice his wicket. The fall of a few more wickets made the situation even muggier. But Nasir was not about to give up easily. He continued to maneuver the innings with enough composure and saved his best for the final onslaught.

Bangladesh needed 17 runs off 12 balls. Batting with the tail, Nasir decided to unleash a cold-blooded assault on Sri Lankan medium-pacer Thisara Perera. The first ball of the 25th over was slapped past extra cover for four with a golf-like swing and Nasir followed it up with tee-off to cow corner to reduce the target to eight off ten balls. Parera's fourth ball was again slapped to the cow corner boundary. A brilliant acrobatic piece of fielding by Nuwan Kulasekara, who saved a certain six, didn't let Nasir finish the match in grand style. The glorious moment came from Sohag Gazi whose wild swing sent the ball over the wicketkeeper's head to script history.

At Kandy, Nasir was the hero for Bangladesh. Had he not been there, Bangladesh would have digested another frustrating defeat. It's not the first time that he has provided solidity to Bangladesh's innings. Like the composed Mahmudullah, Nasir too comes to bat lower down and most of the time bats with the tail. With gentle looks and a boyish flair, Nasir dishes out onslaughts in a more cultured manner to leave the opposition baffled. Nasir's biggest asset is his ability to switch gear according to the situation. If the situation demands stability he would bat like a saint and when it demands a drastic approach, he would go aggressive.

At the age of 13, Nasir moved to Bangladesh's sports institute and very quickly his talent caught everyone's attention. He represented the Bangladesh Under-19 side at the age of 16 in 2008. One of Bangladesh's famous first-class teams, Abahani, recruited him at a very tender age. They took a risk with Nasir by giving him chances in first-class matches. It was feared that Nasir would crumble under pressure, but he proved everyone wrong with his rock solid temperament and composure. He earned applauds for showing the courage to open the bowling against Sanath Jayasuriya who was representing Mohammedan at that time.

Nasir made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe in 2011. His batting prowess was evident since his debut as he made a steady 68 to give the Bangladesh innings a respectability which was at bay at 58 for 6. Bangladesh lost the match but Nasir kept on shining. He scored his first ODI hundred against Pakistan at Mirpur in 2011 and as time progressed he has evolved into Bangladesh cricket's Mr. Consistent. His power of consistency is not only limited to ODIs or T20s but in Test cricket he's equally a prolific run scorer. Both in Tests and ODIs, his batting average is even healthier than many of the top-order Bangladesh batsmen. He averages over 40-plus in both formats of the game. Again, his talent is not limited to only batting, but his bowling too is very tricky and sharp. He has the ability to outfox batsmen any moment with his teasing offspinners and even he can bowl three-quarter-length deliveries when needed and his fielding itself is an exciting thing to watch. Undoubtedly, he's a mercurial talent.

Nasir can finish matches. For a long time, Bangladesh lacked such a finisher. Finishers in cricket are a rare breed. In crunch situations they remain cool even when team-mates get affected by the magnitude of the situation. Their nerves are made of steel while their aim to steer the ship towards the shore remain intact. In the end, they have the last laugh. Nasir Hossain, in the course of time, will turn out to be one of cricket's finest finishers. He's an asset for world cricket.

Note: This article has been published today on Cricketnext.com part of CNN IBN Nasir Hossain is one of cricket's mercurial assets 

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Faisal Caesar