Did Anamul Haque Bijoy, Soumya Sarkar, and Taskin Ahmed recognize William Bosisto? The Australian cricketer, who scored an unbeaten 75* for Khulna Tigers in the BPL yesterday, might not ring a bell for many—and that’s understandable. Bosisto’s career had been stuck in limbo for years, and not everyone remembers events from 13 years ago.
Unless you’re a hardcore cricket follower, it’s unlikely you’d know much about Bosisto. But for Soumya, Litton Das, Taskin, Anamul, and Nurul Hasan, Bosisto might bring back unpleasant memories.
Flashback to the 2012 Under-19 World Cup: William Bosisto captained host Australia in the tournament. During the quarterfinal against Bangladesh, in the 12th over of the innings, Bosisto was at the crease while Soumya Sarkar bowled. On the fifth ball of the over, Soumya Mankaded non-striker Jimmy Peirson.
Chasing a target of 172, Australia were struggling at 33 for 3. In this tense moment, Bosisto requested Bangladesh captain Anamul Haque to withdraw the Mankading appeal. Anamul refused. Despite reducing Australia to 100 for 5, Bangladesh couldn’t seal the win. Bosisto’s unbeaten 71 guided Australia to victory. While Australia lost the final of that World Cup, Bosisto was named Player of the Tournament.
Bosisto made his first-class debut in 2013 but didn’t enjoy much success. Over an 8-year span until 2021, he played only 28 matches, averaging 22.53. His List A career ended in 2017, with 14 matches, a highest score of 86, and 389 runs in total.
As for T20s, Bosisto hadn’t played a recognized match for four years before joining the BPL. He had played only 12 T20 matches, 11 of them in the Big Bash League, where his highest score was an unbeaten 36. But in yesterday’s BPL game for Khulna Tigers, he made an incredible comeback, scoring 75* off 50 balls—his maiden T20 fifty and the highest score of his career.
Interestingly, none of the players from Bangladesh’s 2012 Under-19 World Cup XI are his BPL teammates. However, he’ll soon face familiar faces like Anamul, Soumya, Taskin, and Nurul as opponents in the tournament.
