Bangladesh T20I captain Shakib Al Hasan said the Tigers now need to win Test matches away from home after winning the ODI and T20I series away against West Indies.
Shakib finished the three-match T20I series scoring 103 runs backed with a 60-run innings in the second game and with four wickets. The Bangladesh Test and T20I captain credited all the members of team for the victory and emphasized that the time is now to make sufficient improvement in the longest-version of the game, Test cricket.
“I was hitting the ball well, which also helped me to bowl well and captaining the side well. Even the guys who were not playing put their heart into it and tried to help the team in every possible ay to produce positive result. We have been doing well in ODIs for the last 3-4 years, since the 2015 World Cup. This T20 series win now gives us the confidence that we can perform well in T20Is as well,” said Shakib.
“We now need to work on Test cricket. We are already doing well at home, now we need to go outside home and start winning Test matches.”
The statement from the ace Bangladesh all-rounder came following their T20I series win by 2-1 margin over hosts West Indies in Lauderhill, Florida on Sunday. The occasion was the first for the Tigers to register a T20I series win on a foreign soil. Bangladesh team is set to return home from Wednesday but in a few batches.
Shakib also thanked gans who supported the team during the tour.
"We never felt we were away from home. It was like we were playing in Bangladesh."
— ICC (@ICC) August 5, 2018
Shakib Al Hasan was beaming after his side's 12-run T20I victory over the West Indies in Florida, praising his players and the fans! ?#WIvBAN
FULL STORY ?https://t.co/dTidQ7HJsn pic.twitter.com/Vwj22vrN7f
“We never felt like we were away from home thanks to the fans. They were like the 12th man," said Shakib.
The series was balanced as 1-1 and the decider was clinched by Bangladesh nu 19 runs (D/L method) after going to bat first and post 184 runs on the board. Bangladesh had a frustrating start to their tour of West Indies losing the Test series 2-0, a result of a dreadful batting performance. However Bangladesh came back strongly in the three-match ODI series by winning it 2-1 and produce similar result in the T20I series.
With the series win and the also the Man of the Series award in the T20I, ace all-rounder Shakib also marked his 12-years in international cricket. Since his international debut on August 6, 2006, the left-arm all-rounder has established himself as one of the pillars of Bangladesh national cricket team with his excellent all-round abilities with both abat and ball and at points with leadership.
Till date, Shakib has played 53 Tests, 188 ODIs and 69 T20Is for Bangladesh. He is now ranked number one in ICC Test and ODI all-rounder ranking while is third in T20I all-rounder list. Within the span between 2009 till date, Shakib has captained Bangladesh in 11 Tests, 50 ODIs and 14 T20Is.
"Unbelievable effort from the boys. After losing the first game, we showed a lot of character. Everybody believed that we could come back and won the series. We were facing the world champions, and we showed great character,” said Shakib at the post match presentation on Sunday in Florida.
