Shakib delighted with Bangladesh response

Bangladesh proved a point against West Indies this month by securing a series whitewash, according to captain Shakib Al Hasan.

Published : Dec 03, 2018 00:53 IST

Shakib is back in the squad for the limited-overs matches between the two sides after he missed its most-recent 50-over series due to a finger injury.
Shakib is back in the squad for the limited-overs matches between the two sides after he missed its most-recent 50-over series due to a finger injury.
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Shakib is back in the squad for the limited-overs matches between the two sides after he missed its most-recent 50-over series due to a finger injury.

Shakib Al Hasan praised Bangladesh for bouncing back from its series whitewash against West Indies in July to return the favour in Dhaka.

The Tigers claimed its biggest Test win and first by an innings on Sunday as Mehidy Hasan's 12 wickets secured a 2-0 triumph.

In its defeat in the West Indies four months ago, Bangladesh was bowled out for 43 – the lowest Test total since 1974.

It was an 11th Test series without victory for Bangladesh, a run that was extended against Zimbabwe prior to West Indies' arrival on the subcontinent.

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That run is now over, though, after Shakib's men dominated the series with bat and ball, no more so than in Dhaka where it raced to victory by an innings and 184 runs inside three days.

"We obviously had a lot to prove after losing to them in that manner [in July]," he said. "I think we have done that at least at home.

"I would thank my team-mates and the coaching staff, for believing that it was possible. I was quite demanding of my players in this series. I wanted a lot from them. I think everyone contributed in their own way, but I saw everyone really wanting to contribute to the win.

"This is the first time we enforced the follow-on in more than 100 Tests in 18 years, which is definitely something special. We haven't done this against smaller teams, so to do it against a higher-ranked side is an achievement."

He added: "We never expected such a performance in the West Indies. We held discussions after the Test series defeat there, and then came back strongly in the ODIs and T20Is.

"Since we didn't do well in the Tests [there], we had this opportunity to do well at home. We wanted people to at least understand that it was a performance in their home conditions, and see that we could do the same in our home conditions.

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"Our batsmen have done well on good wickets. In this game, they believed in the plan put in front of them. We no longer prepare flat wickets on which we are expected to score 500 and draw the game. We try to win every game, and this changed mindset has taken us to a better place as cricketers."

Attention now turns to the limited-overs matches between the two sides – three ODIs and three T20Is – with Bangladesh restoring Shakib to the squad after he missed its most-recent 50-over series with Zimbabwe due to a finger injury.

Tamim Iqbal is also back after struggling with a fractured wrist and side strain in recent months.

 

 

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