Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim was more a picture of relief rather than joy at the post-match presentation ceremony after his unit pulled off a 143-run win over hosts
Zimbabwe in the second Test match to level the series.
Bangladesh had lost the first Test by a comprehensive margin of 335 runs which put the Tigers under immense pressure to come back in the second and final Test and they duly produced the goods to register their fourth ever Test match win, among which three wins have come in overseas conditions.
Whilst praising the seniors in the team, Mushfiq was also eagerly anticipating the three-match one-day international series, which gets underway on May 3.
‘The Test win is a big achievement for us. Pressure was on us after losing the first Test. We did not apply ourselves properly during the first Test. The senior guys played well in this game and it showed the character of
our team. Hopefully we will carry on the momentum in the ODIs,’ said Mushfiq.
Mushfiq tasted his first victory as skipper in 10 attempts in a Test match in which he also fared well. The 24-year-old Bogra lad struck a patient 60 in the first innings and played an important innings of 93 in the second essay.
Mushfiq though, rather than basking in the glory of his performance, credited the mercurial all-rounder Sakib al Hasan and Nasir Hossain for making his job easier.
‘When you are winning, you are always enjoying (the tour). It has been a good Test for me. I tried my best. Credit goes to Sakib (al Hasan) and Nasir (Hossain), they supported me throughout,’ said Mushfiq.
Meanwhile, Mushfiq’s counterpart Brendan Taylor spoke in glowing terms about Robiul Islam, the standout bowler of the two-match Test series with 15 wickets. Taylor also reserved special mention for the Bangladeshi middle-order for executing their plans well.
‘You have to give Bangladesh credit for some solid performances. Their middle-order was very solid. Robiul (Islam) bowling 100 overs in two games is phenomenal. The wicket played better than we thought it would. We leaked too many boundaries.
‘They showed patience and waited for their scoring options. They deserved the win,’ said the 27-year-old Zimbabwe skipper.
Taylor though remained optimistic of a change in fortunes in the one-day series whilst also appreciating the second innings effort of centurion Hamilton Masakadza.
‘We are pleased with some of our individual performances. Hamilton (Masakadza) is a guy we look to bat around. I am sure he is going to come good in the one-dayers,’ added Taylor.
-With New Age input
