"Really happy, tough job playing as all rounder": Bangladesh's Mehidy Hasan on getting Man of Tournament award
Sep 03, 2024
Rawalpindi [Pakistan], September 3 : Bangladesh all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz was named the man of the tournament, after their dominant performance against Pakistan and expressed his happiness at receiving the award.
The 26-year-old scored 155 runs in his two innings and scalped a total of 10 wickets in the two-match Test series.
In the post match presentation Mehidy dedicated his award to the student protestors who lost their lives during the protests in Bangladesh.
"You know there have been problems in Bangladesh - I dedicate this award to the student protestors...A rickshaw-puller was hurt in the violence, and eventually died. I want to gift this award to his family," he said, according to ESPNcricinfo.
He was jubilant to be the Player of the Series.
"I'm really happy, first time out of the country that I have got a Man of the Series award. It is a tough job playing as all rounder, but I just wanted to rotate strike and enjoyed batting with Mushi and Litton Das," he said.
He also praised the team management for backing him. "The team is very happy with my performance, they keep supporting me. This moment is one of the happiest for me."
The 10-wicket victory in the first match marked Bangladesh's maiden Test win over Pakistan. A repeat of this performance in the second Test solidified a historic achievement for the team.
This series victory is also Bangladesh's first Test series win (of two matches or more) against a team other than Zimbabwe and the West Indies, according to the ICC.
The win has boosted Bangladesh in the ICC World Test Championship standings, propelling them to No. 4 with a points percentage of 45.83, leapfrogging England.
Beginning the fifth day on 42/0, needing 143 more runs to win, Bangladesh got off to a steady start, inching towards the modest target without taking too many risks. They added another 80 runs in the morning session but lost both openers within the space of 12 runs.
Despite the wickets, the experienced duo of Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mominul Haque put together a 57-run stand to keep the visitors on track. Shanto was dismissed soon after lunch for 38, and Mominul perished for 34, causing Bangladesh to stutter slightly towards the end.
However, the veteran pair of Mushfiqur Rahim (22*) and Shakib Al Hasan (21*) persisted and guided Bangladesh over the line without further hiccups.
Earlier in the Test, after opting to field first, Bangladesh produced another fantastic performance, bowling Pakistan out for a modest 274 runs. Despite half-centuries from captain Shan Masood and opener Saim Ayub, Mehidy Hasan Miraz's five-wicket haul, combined with three wickets from Taskin Ahmed, ensured that Pakistan's first innings total remained within reach.
Pakistan responded brilliantly with the ball, with Khurram Shahzad leading the fightback with a six-wicket haul that gave the home team a slim lead of 12 runs.
However, Bangladesh's bowlers were not done. Two more heroes stepped up for the visitors--24-year-old Hasan Mahmud and 21-year-old Nahid Rana--who took a combined nine wickets between them as Pakistan collapsed for just 172 runs in the second innings, setting Bangladesh a target of 185 with four sessions left in the game.
Poor weather and bad light stopped play early on Day 4 but only delayed the inevitable as the visitors wrapped up the Test with six wickets to spare.