Mushfiq terms it a landmark victory
Newcomers also contribute with seniors against England
Abu Talha Sarkar
Bangladesh finally grabbed a Test victory against a major cricketing nation for what the country had been craving for long. It came on the back of some sensational performance as England remained unscathed, reaching 100 for no loss by tea in pursuit of 273 on what appeared to be a tough chase on an iffy wicket.
But Bangladesh backed their ability and dealt a mighty blow to Englands aspiration to force them experiencing a worst collapse in the Test history. The visitors finally lost all 10 wickets in a manic 22.5 overs in the final session to be all out for 164. And it was what made the landmark victory so pleasing.
No surprise, Bangladesh Test captain Mushfiqur Rahim rated the victory as the biggest achievement in Bangladeshs Test cricket folklore, stating that the day is not too far when Bangladesh win the series with big margin.
Its a very biggest achievement in Bangladeshs Test cricket history. It came against a very stronger England side but there will be a time when we will win a series 2-0 against any big team. This is a start, said Mushfiqur Rahim.
It feels great that the younger players are also contributing. We have a number of performers in the team, which is always great for a captain, Rahim told newsmen after winning the second Test.
He said that time has come for them to shoulder more challenge to fare well in overseas condition.
It was a learning curve for our batsmen because we never played against such a strong team in such wickets. We have to handle it better in the future. Gradually we are improving, Mushfiq said.
It shows that Bangladesh team can be a stronger team in the future as they can get over big or small difficulties and still win. We want to take the challenge of doing well abroad now. I think we have a number of experienced players to perform in different conditions too, he added.
Giving credit to spinner trio- Shakib, Miraz and Taijul, the diminutive man said that they all executed their game plan properly.
At least we tried something different. But it doesnt happen overnight. We felt that we had enough resources against any batting line-up and not just England. We executed our plan. Credit goes to Shakib, Miraz and Taijul, the 29-year-old said.
It was tough to get wickets in these pitches since they couldnt just turn up and get them. I hope you willsee more such wickets in the future, he hints.
Wicketkeeper-batsman said that they had a pre-tour planning for England series, where wickets will be prepared for three or four days, from where our spinners will be benefited and English batsmen will face difficulties to handle our spinners.
From the time we knew England were coming, we planned to make wickets that last three to four days. These sorts of wickets that would help our spinners alongside make troubles for the English batsmen. We played well in Chittagong but I was surprised that it lasted five days, he said, adding Here our bowlers executed our plans and the batsmen did well too, which made thiswin possible. We wanted to create this situation from where we could press towards a win. We are feeling really well.
When asked if he feels any regret not to make the series 2-0, the right-hander said that he feels no regret or frustration after winning Test in such way.
We thought that if we get one wicket, things could start changing. It is always difficult for a new batsman in this wicket. Shakib and Miraz were outstanding as they took the wickets. There is no regret or frustration. We won the second after learning from the first Test, he told.
The captain said that it is relief for a captain when key players are in form and juniors contribute in the same pace with the seniors for the team.
Runs are important in these wickets. Tamim was outstanding, especially in the first innings in Chittagong. I think that 78 was greater than his double-century. He utilized his good form, which is a really good sign, he said.
SCOREBOARD
Bangladesh 1st innings 220
England first innings 244
Bangladesh 2nd innings (overnight 152-3)
Tamim c Cook b Ansari 40
I Kayes lbw b Ali 78
Mominul c Cook b Stokes 1
Mahmudullah b Ansari 47
Shakib b Rashid 41
Mushfiqur c Cook b Stokes 9
Sabbir lbw b Rashid 15
Shuvagata not out 25
Tajiul c Bairstow b Stokes 5
Mehedi c Root b Rashid 2
Kamrul c and b Rashid 7
Extras (b17, lb7, w1, nb1) 26
Total (all out, 66.5 overs) 296
Fall of wickets: 1-65, 2-66, 3-152, 4-200,
5-238, 6-238, 7-268, 8-273, 9-276, 10-296.
BOWLING O M R W
S Finn 3 0 18 0
M Ali 19 2 60 1
Z Ansari 19 0 76 2
B Stokes 12 2 52 3
A Rashid 11.5 1 52 4
C Woakes 2 0 14 0
England 2nd innings
A Cook c Mominul b Mehedi 59
B Duckett b Mehedi 56
J Root lbw b Shakib 1
G Ballance c Tamim b Mehedi 5
M Ali lbw Mehedi 0
B Stokes b Shakib 25
J Bairstow c Shuvagata b Mehedi 3
C Woakes not out 9
A Rashid lbw b Shakib 0
Z Ansari c Kayes b Shakib 0
S Finn lbw b Mehedi 0
Extras (b4 lb2) 6
Total (all out; 45.3 overs) 164
Fall of wickets: 1-100, 2-105, 3-124, 4-124,
5-127 (Cook), 6-139 (Bairstow), 7-161 (Stokes), 8-161 (Rashid), 9-161 (Ansari), 10-164.
BOWLING O M R W
Mehedi 21.3 2 77 6
Shakib 13 1 49 4
Shuvagata 6 0 25 0
Taijul 5 2 7 0
Result: Bangladesh won by 108 runs
Series result: Two-Test series drawn 1-1
