‘This is for the martyrs’

Bangladesh players celebrate with their second major silverware after defeating the West Indies in the fifth and final ODI at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday. Photo: Firoz AhmedNaimul Karim

For a moment it seemed like the game would never end. The nerves were jittery even when Bangladesh needed just four runs to win in the 43rd over with four wickets in hand. That was the precise moment when Shohag Gazi, who almost carried the hosts home with his aggressive batting, was caught behind. The scenario only worsened when Abdur Razzak was trapped in front by Kemar Roach in the very same over.

The inevitable question was asked by many towards the end of the game — can Bangladesh actually lose it from here? Those last few minutes seemed like hours for thousands of fans sitting at the edge of their seats at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday. Even Nasir Hossain’s cut-shot towards the boundary, which eventually didn’t reach the fence but brought the entire Bangladesh team on to the pitch, didn’t end the game.

The moment of truth though, arrived off the very next ball, when another cut over cover finally relieved the hosts of their misery. As captain Mushfiqur Rahim put it, at the end of the game, it was ‘more than just a mere series victory’.

“Before this series, when we whitewashed them at home, that was a weak team. The 4-0 win against New Zealand wasn’t against their best possible team. But this West Indian team are the T20 world champions. And we weren’t playing with a full-strength team either, so it just feels amazing,” said Mushfiqur.

“In the last two matches our bowling was good but we couldn’t field and bat well. Our plan today was to play as a team and give our heart and soul in all three departments, and I am really happy that everything went according to plan,” explained an excited Mushfiqur.

Bangladesh’s chase yesterday evening was dominated by partnerships. The first one was between Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah Riyad, who was promoted up the order. The fall of the senior pair brought to the wicket young Mominul Haque and Nasir Hossain, who shared another half-century stand.

“We never thought that the match would slip out of our hands. Even after [Mahmudullah] Riyad bhai got out, I had the belief that we could win. After I got out, Mominul and Nasir played very well. I think they played better than us because they were under more pressure. The way Shohag [Gazi] scored those 19 runs also contributed,” said Mushfiqur.

The 91-run stand for the fourth wicket with Riyad in particular rescued the hosts as they were struggling at 30 for 3 in the initial stages. “On the field and off the field we [Riyad and Mushfiqur] spend a lot of time together, so we are lucky that as seniors we could provide the partnership. The responsibility was a lot more because Shakib [Al Hasan] wasn’t there and Tamim [Iqbal] couldn’t perform the way we wanted to,” said the captain.

The captain also had good words for Shafiul Islam, who picked up three wickets and bowled four maidens, and Mominul whose two wickets in two overs applied the brakes on the visitors’ run-flow. He also batted sensibly for his 25 and provided Nasir ample support with the bat.

“The best thing about him is his fighting character. I just told him to stick to the plan and not to worry about the outcome. His wicket of Pollard was very crucial — if we didn’t take that they would have scored a 250-plus total,” claimed Mushfiqur. “As for Shafiul, I think 70 to 80 per cent credit for our victory should go to him. To come and play against such aggressive players in the finals was a brilliant task,” added Mushfiqur.

Declared as the man of the series for his 204 runs and the way he marshalled his troops on the field, Mushfiqur stated that he was successful only because of his team. The press conference ended in a similarly dramatic fashion as the game itself, as an emotional Mushfiqur dedicated Bangladesh’s best ever win in the month of victory to the martyrs of the country’s Liberation War. “It’s the month of our country’s victory, and although we haven’t done a fraction of what they did [martyrs] for our country, we want to dedicate this win to them.”

Source: The Daily Star