“I am happy Bangladesh beat New Zealand without me” – Shakib

Bangladesh's veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan believes their team no longer depends on senior members to script famous wins away from home. He made his statement after Bangladesh beat New Zealand in the first Test at Mount Maunganui on Wednesday.

Shakib had withdrawn from the squad to spend time with his family. Experienced opener Tamim Iqbal was also on the sidelines due to his injury.

Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, Shakib said:

“I don't think my presence was necessarily important [in New Zealand]. I am happy that they did it without me. Not just me [but others as well].”

The Bangladesh team was considered depleted, especially in the absence of a few of their senior players. They were considered underdogs going into the away series.

Shakib continued:

“I think what really delighted me was that the notion, particularly in the media, that not many players apart from the four or five senior ones can win games for the team - that will be changed. If they are handed the responsibility, these youngsters will play better."

Bangladesh had a poor 2021 which included a poor outing at the T20I World Cup, where they lost all five matches in the group stages.

Shakib believes the victory was sweeter, as the last year had been very disappointing. for Bangladesh

“We made an unbelievable start to 2022. I am very happy. Credit goes to all the players and coaching staff for playing well under so much pressure and in these conditions. Everyone tried hard. This was always going to be a challenging year after a difficult time in 2021 for us.”

The veteran all-rounder added:

“Not everything will change after a Test win. But it creates the opportunity for change. I think if we can hold onto this belief, particularly the BCB, we can do well in the World Test Championship.”

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"It is good to see the pacers winning game for us (Bangladesh)" - Mashrafe Mortaza

Besides Shakib, Tiger’s former captain and pacer Mashrafe Mortaza heaped praise on their fast bowlers for their performance at Mount Maunganui.

Bangladesh seamers picked up 13 wickets at Bay Oval, which broke their previous best of 11 wickets against Zimbabwe in 2013.

Mortaza believes this was their biggest takeaway from the win against New Zealand.

“Taskin [Ahmed] and Ebadot [Hossain] proved that if they put in the hard work, they can improve. It is good to see the pacers winning a game for us (Bangladesh), but this win doesn't necessarily answer all the questions.”

He continued:

“This is not a reply to all the criticism in recent times. Rather, we should learn from this, that we can win matches if we give players the opportunity. Cricket boards should invest and see what's happening so that it can bring better results in the future.”

Mortaza added that Ebadot was the game changer for Bangladesh. Ebadot averaged 81.5 before the match, which is the worst record for any bowler with more than 10 wickets.

Mortaza explained:

“Ebadot's wickets [in the second innings] won us the game. It could have been a drawn game. You have to give the player a bit of time. He got set slowly. Giving them a bit of time always brings a good result.”

Mortaza also expects the Bangladesh Cricket Board to convert one of its cricketing venues in the future to help and develop fast bowlers in their own backyard.