‘Bangladesh’s biggest win in any format’: Captain Shanto hails historic win over Australia

Darwin, Aug 16 (IANS) A watershed moment arrived for Bangladesh in Test cricket in their 48-year-long cricketing odyssey when a Najmul Hossain Shanto-led side defeated the mighty Australian side on the latter’s own soil. The victory marked Bangladesh’s first-ever win on Australian soil, and it took just three matches for them to achieve it when the Asian side romped home in a nine-wicket win in Darwin on Sunday.

Speaking after the win, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto calmly reflected on the game, calling it the ‘biggest win for the team in any format’. “Very happy, proud of myself and the way the boys played. We did a lot of hard work. This is the biggest win so far for Bangladesh in any format. Going forward, we want to do something special in the future,” Shanto told broadcasters after the win.

Fast bowler Hasan Mahmud turned out to be the difference in the game, and his six-wicket haul in the first innings was the cornerstone in bowling the hosts out for 198 in the first innings, while other speedsters Taskin Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain also chipped in with a couple of wickets each. The fact that this came without their two premier speedsters, Nahid Rana and Shoriful Islam, speaks volumes about how well Bangladesh are building a bunch of fast bowlers who can do the job in overseas conditions.

Speaking on honing the fast bowlers and not relying on spin, Shanto shared, “That is the biggest change for Bangladesh in Test format,” while adding, “Earlier, five years ago, pacers didn’t want to play Tests. But we’ve been playing lots of Test cricket, and they are giving importance to the Test format. They want to play, want to perform, want to be world-class. That is the mindset they now have. Seniors like Mushfiqur and Mominul have encouraged them to play more Test cricket.”

After the hosts were bowled out for 198, opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim led the way with the bat as he made 101 from 197 balls, laced with eight fours and a six. Shanto emphasised his ‘calmness’ and the impact he left on the game. “He attacks in the white-ball game, but in this Test he was calm and played shots on the ball’s merit. As a top-order batter, we want him to have impact, and he did it,” the skipper said.

Bangladesh can now sight a series win over Australia as they have to face them again in the second and last Test of this series in Mackay from August 22 onwards. But Shanto is aware that they need to tick all the boxes for that. “We have that evidence, but we have to play good cricket. We have to play five days of good cricket, and I’m going to say the same thing. If we play session by session, if the lower order keeps chipping in, those are the things,” he concluded.

–IANS

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