Rahim pleased with home soil consistency

Cricket365
November 18, 2014

Bangladesh recorded their first ever three-nil Test series victory, beating Zimbabwe on the Tigers' home soil, and skipper Mushfiqur Rahim says he always knew they had it in them if they performed as a unit.

The Tigers have had a dismal year overall, but with senior players like Shakib and Tamim Iqbal finding form, and newcomers like Taijul Islam taking consistent wickets, the series was a good confidence booster.

Rahim said after the third Test win in Chittagong: "I can't take too much credit. The way our players performed throughout the series, any captain would have been in my position.

"It is a good sign. We won two Tests on the final day, which shows our character and the fact that we can play good cricket consistently.

"We knew that if we executed properly, a 3-0 result was possible. It is nothing unbelievable as it was always going to be difficult to play spin in Bangladesh.

"All credit goes to the bowlers but the batsmen ensured they had the scoreboard pressure on their side. We knew that if everyone performed, the series would be ours.

"Ahead of the series we wanted the senior players to lead from the front. Riyad bhai [Mahmudullah], Shakib and Tamim have done well and the juniors were asked to enjoy the game."

Shakib-al-Hasan was one of the star performers for the Tigers, taking 17 wickets in the three games and scoring over 250 runs. He said not getting 20 wickets wasn't a concern, he was just pleased to have contributed.

He said: "There is nothing to feel bad. What if I didn't get 17 wickets in the first two Tests? You need luck, which wasn't there in this Test so it didn't happen. If it did happen I would have felt good but I don't think about it now.

"It feels good obviously that I managed to contribute for the team. I was satisfied with my performance. I could have perhaps batted better, but, on the whole, I was very satisfied with this series."