Although his team achieved a huge victory in Chattogram to tie the two-match Test series against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto expressed his dissatisfaction, saying they might have performed better. As they get ready for their upcoming Test series, which is set to begin in Sri Lanka in June, Najmul said that they must turn their beginnings into significant scores.
In the first Test, Zimbabwe defeated Bangladesh, but the hosts pulled off a spectacular comeback in the second Test to save face. “I’m not really happy,” Najmul said to reporters after the match. “If you look at the whole series, we should have played better cricket. We didn’t perform well in the first Test. Although we made a comeback, this is a series we should have won,” he said.
“We played poor cricket in the first Test so it was important to bounce back. We won in Pakistan and West Indies earlier and that means we have that ability. We just need to play according to our potential.
“As a captain, I don’t want this kind of scoreboard. If Shadman could score 200, I could hit a 100, or Mushfiqur Rahim scored 150, I would be happier, rather than everyone scoring 40s. Losing wicket after getting set is not a good sign, as this can’t enhance our confidence. In Sri Lanka, whoever gets set, should score 150-200,” he said.
“The Sri Lanka series is very significant. I would demand big scores from top order batsmen, rather than getting out on 40s. Usually, pitches in Sri Lanka are very sporting, so the pacers have their job to do. I want to see someone get to 150, 200. That’s the level we need to reach if we want to win consistently overseas.”
Mehidy Hasan has a huge job with the ball, thus Najmul rejected suggestions for him to be moved up the order. Mehidy has been on the rise for the past year, scoring 598 runs and taking 41 wickets in Test matches, making him Bangladesh’s top run scorer and wicket-taker within that period.
In the process, he became the second Bangladeshi player after Shakib Al Hasan to attain the milestone, becoming the 26th Test cricketer to reach 2000 Test runs and 200 wickets. Mehidy appeared to be in a different zone on the third day of the second Test, as he helped Bangladesh amass 444 with a superb century and then took five wickets to dismiss Zimbabwe for 111, giving his team a 106-run victory.
“If you ask how far up – four or five? That’s very challenging, especially in this format (Test),” said Najmul. “He’s doing well at six-seven. He knows how important his bowling is, and he’s working hard. We want him to keep contributing the way he is,” he added.
