When Shakib Al Hasan was dismissed as the sixth batter of Bangladesh innings early on the third day, it seemed all over for them in the second Rawalpindi Test against Pakistan. Tigers’ prospects of winning the series for the first time against the hosts appeared to have faded as they were struggling at 26-6.
Two days later, Shakib smashed Abrar Ahmed through the covers for a four. That resulted in a historic series victory over Pakistan, which Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto described as ‘one of the finest achievements’ in the country’s cricket history.
He said that they never stopped believing, even if the reality posed a different threat.
‘I think belief is very important’, Shanto said after the end of the second Test on Tuesday.
‘Every single player believes that we could make a comeback at any time. You know [Mehidy Hasan] Miraz bats at eight. With the batting depth we have, we believe that if anyone gets set, they can make a big score. So to make a comeback, this belief is important.’
The comeback was orchestrated by Mehidy and Liton Das; together they added 165 runs in a record-breaking seventh wicket partnership. Liton was named man of the match, while Mehidy was adjudged as the player of the series.
‘Before going out to bat, he [Mehidy] had said that he and Liton would do the job for the team’, Shanto added.
‘These guys had done it before. But this is impressive. The beliefs they had in the dressing room, but the situation was different. I won’t lie, we were very behind. We were a bit nervous at that time. The way Miraz and Liton batted, after 10-15 overs we were in a good position. And we started to believe that these guys would bring us into a very good position.’Â
Mehidy, who dedicated his man of the series award to the people who passed away during the anti-discrimination protest, said that to remain positive was the key to his success.
The all-rounder scored 155 runs and took 10 wickets to grab the award for the second time in his career.Â
‘Actually, it’s not an easy job. I always try to play positively. I always think about the positives. I don’t think about the negatives. Because if you think about the negatives, you cannot play in these conditions,’ he said after the match.
‘There was one rickshaw puller who was injured and later on passed away. I want to gift this award to them.’
Bangladesh have played in this series in unusual circumstances. Generally, cricket is often considered the main source of entertainment in this country. Even that was subsumed by the anti-discrimination movement and later by the flood that hit the eastern area of the country.Â
Shanto, who was ‘lost’ to describe the emotions he was going through after the win, hoped that this win would bring some smiles.
‘Everyone struggled a lot in the last one and a half months. We all know that cricket is a very emotional thing in our country. So I hope that as we win the match and the series, these will bring some smiles into their faces. We are also happy that our fans got some joy.’
