Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto has expressed his hope that his team’s first-ever Test cricket series win over Pakistan will bring smiles to the faces of his compatriots amidst ongoing difficulties. The nation has faced a series of challenges recently, including civil unrest that led to the loss of the ICC Women’s Twenty20 World Cup hosting rights and deadly flash floods affecting millions of people.
Shanto, speaking after Bangladesh clinched the series 2-0 with a six-wicket victory in the second Test on Tuesday, acknowledged the emotional weight cricket carries in Bangladesh. “For the last 1.5 months, everyone (in Bangladesh) has struggled a lot,” he said. “We all know cricket is a very emotional thing in our country. So, I hope they will get some smiles because we’ve won the series.”
Bangladesh’s triumph followed an impressive 10-wicket win in the first Test at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The second Test saw a remarkable comeback from the visitors, who recovered from a precarious 26-6 in their first innings. Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz played crucial roles in reducing the deficit to just 12 runs. Bangladesh’s fast bowlers then bowled out Pakistan for 172, setting a target of 185 that they chased down in 56 overs.
Shanto highlighted the strong belief within the dressing room, attributing the team’s resilience to the crucial partnership between Das and Miraz. “The belief in the dressing room is very different this time,” he said. “We were nervous (at 26-6) but the way Litton and Miraz batted … we believed that those guys will take us to a good position.”
The captain was particularly impressed with the performance of young fast bowlers Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana, who combined for nine wickets in the second innings. “We read the conditions very well,” Shanto said. “The bowlers did their job … and just tried to bowl in the channel for a long time, not like one or two overs. The bowlers did a lot of hard work and that’s why we got the result.”
Bangladesh is set to tour India this month for two Tests and three T20Is, and Shanto believes the historic win in Pakistan, only their second series triumph away from home, will provide a much-needed boost to their morale. “This series (in Pakistan) gives us a lot of confidence,” he said.
