Miraz praises bowling unit after sealing memorable victory in Jamaica
DailyStar || Shining BD
Bangladesh stand-in captain Mehedi Hasan Miraz heaped praise on his bowlers following the series-levelling 101-run win against West Indies in the second and final Test in Jamaica on Tuesday.
Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam took five for 50 in the fourth innings to help bowl out West Indies for 185. Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud and Rana took the other five wickets.
Rana had taken his maiden Test five-wicket haul in the first innings, helping bowl West Indies out for 146.
Bangladesh batters showed character in the second innings after a dismal first innings show, especially Jaker Ali's Test-best innings of 91 lifted the tourists to 268 all out in their and left the home team with a daunting victory target of 287.
"It's a big achievement for me because I captained the team for the first time. Everybody supported me and followed my instructions. I would like to thank everyone because everyone wanted to win this match from their hearts," said an excited Miraz after the match.
With dismal batting performances in both innings, Bangladesh had conceded a heavy 201-run defeat in the first Test in Antigua. However, captain Miraz remained optimistic, expressing hope for a strong comeback in the second and final Test of the series.
Miraz was full of praise for the bowlers and said: "We have played so many years of Test cricket, almost 25 years, so this was enjoyable. We need to keep improving in certain areas. We always talked about our boys and how we have to win this game. We were not thinking negatively despite being 164 all out. The boys bowled especially well"
"Nahid [Rana] in the first innings, Taskin [Ahmed] and Hasan Mahmud chipped in. Second-innings specialist Taijul [Islam] got five wickets. He was excellent. He has been very good for the last 10 years, more than 200 wickets for us. Fast bowling has been all about the process. Tanzim Sakib is also there. We have good fast bowlers at the moment," he concluded.
Shining BD