Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto recalls hardships back home after 2-0 series whitewash v Pakistan; hopes win will bring smiles to people
Bangladesh players celebrate their seris win over Pakistan in Rawalpindi yesterday. Pic/AFP
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto believed his team’s first Test cricket series win over Pakistan will give his compatriots reason to smile amid ongoing difficulties.
ADVERTISEMENT
The recent civil unrest that toppled Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina caused Bangladesh to be stripped of the ICC Women’s Twenty20 World Cup, and in the past week the country has been hit by deadly flash floods that have affected millions of people.
Najmul Hossain Shanto
“For the last 1 1/2 months, everyone [in Bangladesh] has struggled a lot,” Shanto said after Bangladesh beat Pakistan by six wickets in the second Test here on Tuesday. Bangladesh clinched the series 2-0.
“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,” he added.
Also Read: PAK vs BAN 1st Test: Pakistan, Bangladesh docked WTC Points due to slow over rates
Bangladesh followed an epic 10-wicket victory in the first Test at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium with a comeback win in the second Test on the same ground.
Bangladesh was 26-6 in their first innings but Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz batted them to just a 12-run deficit. Then the fast bowlers dismissed Pakistan for 172 and Bangladesh reached the winning target of 185 in 56 overs.
“The belief in the dressing room is very different this time,” Shanto 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.”
Shanto was impressed with the work ethic of young fast bowlers Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana, who shared nine wickets in the second innings.
Brief scores
Pakistan 274 & 172 lost to Bangladesh 262 & 185-4 (Z Hasan 40, NH Shanto 38, M Haque 34) by six wickets
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
