Bangladesh revel in historic home series win over Pakistan
Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto was all praise for his players after a 2-0 ICC World Test Championship series sweep at home.
Bangladesh rounded off their first-ever home Test series win over Pakistan, clinching the second Test by 78 runs.
It is a triumph, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto believes, is a result of investing in the current set of players.
“Credit goes to all the players, they have been working really hard,” he said afterwards.
“We changed something, we tried to build our team. And if you look at world cricket, if you want to build something you have to change.”
Primary among the changes has been the quality performance from Bangladesh’s pace unit.
“Our fast bowlers did a great job in hot conditions, on a flat wicket. That is something we always wanted to improve,” Shanto stated.
The pacers were at the forefront of Bangladesh’s successive wins over Pakistan, accounting for a total of 18 wickets during the two matches in testing conditions. Leading their charge was Nahid Rana, who finished the series with 11 scalps.
However, Shanto also noted the contributions of the lower order in the batting lineup that helped set the tone for wins in Mirpur and Sylhet.
“Our tailenders also contribute a lot. Those are the things we wanted to improve and I hope we continue (to play this way).”
The key protagonist with the bat was veteran Mushfiqur Rahim, who finished the series with 253 runs and was named the Player of the Series.
Summing up the emotions within the dressing room, Rahim said, “It really means a lot, the boys really deserve it. The way they have been playing the last 2-3 years, especially in the Test format.”
The 39-year-old also highlighted the knock from Litton Das as a significant step that paved the way for a series sweep.
“To be honest, Litton's century in the first innings was outstanding and that kept us in the game. The morale in the dressing room was really high and we wanted to play for him as well.”
Their latest win has propelled Bangladesh to fifth spot in the current ICC World Test Championship standings, leaping above India with a win-loss percentage of 58.33 percent.
Up next in the ongoing WTC cycle, Bangladesh will travel to Australia for a two-match series. They will also travel to South Africa to play as many Tests against the reigning WTC winners.
“That is more important, to play away series,” Shanto said while looking ahead at the upcoming challenges.
“Last cycle we had been playing some good cricket away, but this year we have some more challenging tours.
“That is a new experience for us to prepare ourselves, but if we continue to play good cricket with our fast bowlers and spinners, we can play some cricket over there as well."