Bangladesh has many reasons to celebrate as they squared the two-match series with four-wicket win in their historic 100th Test against Sri Lanka on Sunday at P,Sara stadium in Colombo.
Tamim Iqbal for his belligerent innings was adjudged as man of the match while his closest friend and buddy Shakib Al Hasan was declared as player of the series for his all round performances, reports BSS.
Tamim, after being declared ‘Man of the Match’ said “I think this win started when we lost the match in Galle. We had a long chat with the coach, and the players stepped up. The way the bowlers bowled in the first innings was quite exceptional.
“That changed the whole thing. When you are chasing this kind of total, you have to be a little aggressive. Me and Sabbir were talking in the middle to look for runs. All came good except the last shot”.
“The coach has backed us a lot. There was something for the bowlers but we were very determined. What we decided was to bat long. Sabbir played excellently. All in all, it was a great win. The way Mosaddek batted in the first innings and he took the pressure away in the second. He is a player to watch.”
Shakib, ‘Man of the Series’ said “This was a very important win. It wasn’t easy. We had to come back strongly after the first Test. I just play my shots. As I said, the way Chandimal batted in the first innings it told me if I apply myself I could score runs.
“It is a great feeling, winning a Test in Sri Lanka. 100th Test, nothing can be better than that. The way we are improving, we will win some games in the future. We are having a very good time at home.
We will have to play better away from home. We knew we could chase down 200. We knew if we apply we can score runs. Nos.9 and 10 batted well for Sri Lanka when we wanted to restrict them to 150”.
Skipper Mushfiqur Rahim giving thoughts after the match, said “Obviously, feel great. The bowlers did a great job – Mustafiz and Shakib’s spells were outstanding on a flat track. It showed the character of the team.
“The boys really stepped up under pressure and there were lot of partnerships in the bowling. I really enjoyed it. If you look at the last few series, we have played some good cricket.
Chandika Hathurusingha, Bangladesh Sri Lankan coach said after the match , ” The boys deserved this win. They have worked very, very hard. I am very happy for them. We knew we need to make some changes. Getting a lead on the third day was crucial. Tamim has been doing really well in all formats in the last year.
He is a senior citizen and he is showing it in the middle. These boys are an emotional bunch, sometimes when they get close, they get ahead of emotions. That will come with good, pressure cricket at the highest level. I can’t go hard on Tamim’s dismissal”.
