Sports Desk:

Bangladesh skipper Mehidy Hasan said on Wednesday that playing with positive intent proved dividend for them as they won their first Test in the West Indies in 15 years to level the two-match series.

Taijul Islam claimed 5-50 to help the visitors bundle out the hosts for 185 runs in their second innings and earn a 101-run win that also marked their third Test win abroad in 2024, courtesy 2-0 series win over Pakistan.

Mehidy, who was leading the side in absence of regular skipper Najmul Hossain as he was ruled out due to injury, added that he is happy everyone followed his suggestion.

“Alhamdulillah. I am feeling really well that after losing the first game we could win the second game and it’s a big achievement for me and because I am doing captaincy for the first time it’s a big thing for me especially in West Indies( getting result),” he said.

“The players played really well and everyone supported me and that is the reason I want to give credit to all the players as they agreed to whatever I suggested and I am feeling good about it. In this condition it was not easy and it was tough for every player but everyone wanted to win the match from their heart and was mentally (ready to do anything for it),” he said.

Mehidy said that he asked his team mates to bat with freedom and look for runs instead of batting with the mindset of defending the wicket. “When we went to bat in the second innings I was telling the batsman that in this wicket it is difficult to bat if we are not positive. Because we have got lead of 18 runs so it is important for us to score runs and we know that if we could score 250 plus runs it will be easy for us to win the match. Just gave the message that players will play positively,” skipper Mehidy Hasan said after the game.

“I told Dipu( Shahadat) when Sourov( Mominul) was sick at that time everyone was puzzled in the team to bat there and I asked Dipu( to bat at three) and he agreed and I just told him that you play positively and if you feel the first ball is there to hit you go for it and no one will tell you anything and I am giving you that guts and he played like that and his 28 runs was very important and when I batted at four I also played with the same mentality because in this wicket run was very important,” he said.

“The message to the player was that one run is very important and everyone should play for runs and it is not a fact that because it is Test we will defend and what will happen with the ball and that was our planning,” he said.