Bangladesh all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz has urged his side to carry the momentum from their historic Test victory in Darwin into a potential series win, while acknowledging that Australia will come back hard in Mackay. Bangladesh secured their first Test win on Australian soil with Mehidy playing a starring role in the landmark victory, following up a crucial half-century with the tail in Bangladesh's first innings with a five-wicket haul in Australia's second. He helped bowl Australia out for 284 in the series, leaving Bangladesh a target of just 57, which they chased down on the fourth afternoon.
Reflecting on the achievement, Mehidy said, "Look, winning a match like this always feels amazing. Even you all probably never thought we would win a match in these conditions. We believed, but at the end of the day, the result isn't in our hands, we can only try. People say a lot of things at times, but at the end of the day, when everyone performs well, it feels great." He added that the team is thinking about clinching the series and wants to stay focused on their current approach. "Since we won the first match, an even bigger challenge awaits us. [But] winning a Test match is never easy. Right now, we just want to carry this momentum forward, and we’ll plan for the next match later."
Mehidy noted that he enjoyed both his roles in the game but termed his bowling performance in Darwin the best of his 12 five-fers in the format so far. "I enjoyed both [batting and bowling]. When I went in to bat, my only thought then was how to work with the bowlers to build a massive lead. That was my plan. Mentally, I was prepared knowing that whatever runs I scored would help the team. As for the bowling, out of all the five-wicket hauls I’ve taken, this one is definitely special. Taking five wickets in these conditions against a team like this feels like a true blessing for me as a spinner," he said.
The all-rounder credited Bangladesh's team management for restoring the players' belief after they were bowled out for 54 and beaten by a Cricket Australia XI in their practice game before the Test. "It definitely feels great. We didn’t have any plan like that [to prove any point]… we just tried to win the match. The way we staged a comeback, the entire team deserves credit for it. We lost the first practice match, and the team’s morale was down. But the management deserves huge credit for boosting our confidence."
He highlighted the support from specific staff members, noting, "When I was struggling myself, our team manager, Nafis Iqbal, gave me a lot of encouragement on how to play in these conditions. I was very happy mentally and talked to him a lot. At one point, he even bowled to me in the nets, and I faced his bowling. I also want to mention Mushtaq Ahmed from the team management. After we lost the first match, he went to every single player and told us, 'Have faith. If you believe, winning is possible, and faith can take you a long way.' Starting from those small things, we began to believe, and you can all see the results today."
Mehidy was also delighted by the appreciation Bangladesh received from former Australian players, particularly Adam Gilchrist. "What I liked the most is that I saw all the legendary players here. And when I got five wickets today, Adam Gilchrist interviewed me, I liked it very much. I saw him being very happy. And he congratulated me and said that the Bangladesh team played very good cricket. He said 'You guys surprised us. We never thought that you can play cricket like this.' I mean, when such a legendary player speaks so well about our team, I feel very good about myself," said Mehidy.
