Shanto believes historic cricket triumph in Pakistan will bring smiles in Bangladesh

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) — Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto believed his team’s first test cricket series win over Pakistan will give his compatriots reason to smile amid ongoing difficulties.

The recent civil unrest that toppled Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina caused Bangladesh to be stripped of the Women's Twenty20 World Cup, and in the past week the country has been hit by deadly flash floods that have affected millions of people.

“For the last 1 1/2 months, everyone (in Bangladesh) has struggled a lot,” Shanto said after Bangladesh beat Pakistan by six wickets in the second test on the last day Tuesday.

“We all know cricket is a very emotional thing in our country, so I hope they will get some smiles because we’ve won the series.”

Bangladesh followed an epic 10-wicket victory in the first test at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium with a comeback win in the second test on the same ground.

Bangladesh was 26-6 in its first innings but Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz batted them to just a 12-run deficit. Then the fast bowlers dismissed Pakistan for 172 and Bangladesh reached the winning target of 185 in 56 overs.

“The belief in the dressing room is very different this time,” Shanto said. “We were nervous (at 26-6) but the way Litton and Miraz batted … we believed that those guys will take us to a good position.”

Shanto was impressed with the work ethic of young fast bowlers Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana, who shared nine wickets in the second innings.

“We read the conditions very well,” Shanto said. “The bowlers did their job … and just tried to bowl in the channel for a long time, not like one or two overs. The bowlers did a lot of hard work and that’s why we got the result.”

Bangladesh is scheduled to tour India this month for two tests and three Twenty20s, and Shanto said the historic win in Pakistan — only their second series triumph away from home — boosts their morale.

“This series (in Pakistan) gives us a lot of confidence,” Shanto said.

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket