Former skippers declare series win the ‘pinnacle of success’

Before this series, Bangladesh’s record against Pakistan stood at 12 losses and one draw in 13 Test matches. Half of these defeats were by an innings, and the remaining losses were by considerable margins. However, Bangladesh has made history by defeating Pakistan on their own soil, winning the series 2-0 and tasting victory against them for the first time.

This marks only the third series win abroad for Bangladesh. Questions have been raised about the strength of the previous opponents, West Indies and Zimbabwe, but there are no such doubts about this series win against Pakistan. For this reason, former national captains are calling this historic series victory the greatest achievement in Bangladesh’s Test history. Four former captains—Aminul Islam Bulbul, Khaled Mahmud Sujon, Habibul Bashar, and Khaled Mashud Pilot—spoke to The Business Standard, sharing their thoughts and discussing the team’s performance.

Aminul Islam Bulbul

This is undoubtedly a significant achievement for Bangladesh. The team had been struggling in red-ball cricket for a long time. After a lengthy break, they returned to Test cricket, facing a team like Pakistan on their home turf. Defeating Pakistan on their own soil is undoubtedly a major success. We had never achieved such a success against such a strong team before. I believe this is one of our greatest victories—one of the finest achievements in 24 years of Test cricket.

There’s no point in discussing how strong the Pakistan team was or who was missing. They played on their home turf and fielded their best team. It wasn’t a B team. They had their selectors and plans, and no country wanted to lose on their own soil. Bangladesh is ranked lower than them, so no one should bring up such excuses. Bangladesh won by delivering their best performance. The team played excellent cricket. In Mount Maunganui, we won one match and lost the next, but here we maintained the momentum and won back-to-back.

Our team is not new to Test cricket; it’s an experienced side. We haven’t played a few matches. This series win isn’t a fluke. We won by playing well. Despite concerns about the top order, they performed quite well. Our pace bowlers bowled incredibly, especially Hasan Mahmud, the young Nahid Rana, and Taskin. They bowled unbelievably well.

Every series has a key player, and for this series, it was Mehidy Hasan Miraz. He is highly underrated. Litton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim played excellent cricket, and in my opinion, this was Litton’s best innings. But without a doubt, the key player of this series was Miraz. The way he performed with both bat and ball was outstanding. The team played as a unit, supporting each other. It was excellent cricket.

Khaled Mahmud Sujon

To be honest, this is a moment of immense pride for us. Winning a series 2-0 in Pakistan is a huge deal. No one expected Bangladesh to win, but here we are with a series victory—an extraordinary achievement, a great moment. When Bangladesh wins, many often dismiss it as a fluke, but this is the result of hard work and dedication. The team worked hard, had a good plan, and showed a strong desire to win. This is a new team with many young players, and they have shown just how good they can be. I am very proud.

In 2003, we weren’t a better team than them in any way. They were a much stronger side. However, we could have won the Peshawar and Multan Tests. Maybe we didn’t win due to inexperience and wrong decisions. If DRS had been available, we might have won both Test matches. Unfortunately, it wasn’t there. But yes, today I am proud. We gained Test status after defeating Pakistan, and now, for the first time, we have beaten them in a series. This is a huge deal, a great achievement.

Pakistan played with their Test players. It’s not our concern why Shaheen Afridi or Naseem Shah didn’t play in this match. They fielded their best team. There’s no point in debating how strong their team was. Such comments always downplay our performance. No one says that Bangladesh won by playing better than Pakistan. We played excellent cricket. Pakistan played poorly, no doubt, but we must talk about our performance. After losing six wickets for 26 runs, the partnership between Litton and Miraz, and then Hasan’s innings, was truly unbelievable. We were dominant throughout. 

At times, Pakistan didn’t even seem confident. Four of our six wickets didn’t have to fall, and we also made mistakes. But our performance shouldn’t be diminished by such comments. Bangladesh played much better cricket than Pakistan, and that’s what happened. They played on their own turf, and we won the series as the touring side.

Habibul Bashar

In Test cricket, this is undoubtedly Bangladesh’s greatest achievement. We have won Test series against the West Indies and Zimbabwe. But the West Indies team in 2009 was not the same West Indies team, and Zimbabwe was no longer the Zimbabwe of old. This Pakistan team, on the other hand, is always a strong side in any format. And Pakistan is a strong team at home, with their home performance reflecting that.

We played well. To be honest, we played very good cricket against Pakistan in this series. And winning Test matches is always special. Winning back-to-back Test matches abroad is amazing. The way we played in this series was just fantastic. Our pace bowling unit, and spin bowling unit—everyone performed brilliantly. Overall, the way we performed with both bat and ball was exceptional and special.

We have won Tests before. Beating New Zealand at Mount Maunganui is up there. We’ve defeated Australia, England, and New Zealand at home. I would particularly mention New Zealand because winning there as a subcontinental team is very tough. We achieved that tough task. We have started winning in Test cricket. And the way we won these two matches was by playing our best cricket. Whether it was a batting or bowling track, we were able to take on the challenges. We faced challenges and overcame them, which we don’t always manage to do. Overall, it was a complete performance.

In the second Test, our bowling in the second innings was particularly important. Had we not bowled so well, Pakistan might have taken a 250-run lead. The match would have been different then. We bowled brilliantly in the second innings. Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana were outstanding. Taskin also bowled well. It was a team performance. We completely dominated Pakistan in every department. My salute and hats off to the team. When we perform well, the focus is often on the opponent’s poor performance. This always disappoints me. But this time, it’s different. Bangladesh won by playing good cricket.

Khaled Mashud Pilot

This series win is a big deal, bringing immense joy to everyone. Given the situation we were in, no one expected the Bangladesh team to achieve this. No one thought such an outstanding performance would come, and that Bangladesh would win the series. For this, I congratulate the entire team, including the team management. This credit goes to the entire team. We watched the performances on TV—Miraz taking five wickets, Hasan taking five wickets, Mushfiq scoring 191, and Litton scoring 138.

We saw these on TV, but I believe a team needs glue to bond and perform well together. The Bangladesh team had that glue, while Pakistan did not, which is why they couldn’t perform. That’s why I give credit to everyone in the Bangladesh team. From Lipu Bhai to everyone else there, this success belongs to all. Because someone, somewhere, motivated the Bangladesh team well.

At the end of the day, the players play, but there are many things that happen outside the field as well. Overall, this is a massive achievement in Bangladesh cricket. You should understand this from the tone of my voice. This is a moment of immense pride, a significant achievement worth mentioning. Winning back-to-back Test matches, that too against a team like Pakistan on their own soil, is incredible. Winning two T20 matches can happen, but winning in Test matches by playing pure cricket is remarkable. Bangladesh has shown this through a collective performance. Pakistan’s pace bowling might not have been strong, but we also got out poorly. We turned things around from an extremely difficult situation. It wasn’t due to the opponent’s poor performance; we won by playing the best cricket.