Bangladesh started off brilliantly in the ODI series against West Indies after suffering a clean sweep in Tests. The senior batsmen’s performance followed by a clinical bowling display from their skipper earned the Tigers their first win on this tour and gave them a 1-0 lead in the three-ODI series.

According to Bangladesh ODI skipper Mashrafe Mortaza, this consistency should've been shown much earlier. However, he hopes to continue the momentum in the upcoming clashes after delivering the desired result.

“All we needed was a start and now we just need to take the momentum forward,” Bangladesh ODI captain, Mashrafe Mortaza, said. “I was confident, but if we kept thinking about what happened so far on the tour, this win wouldn't have been possible. We should have shown this consistency much earlier. We now have to keep at it.”

The fast-bowler has led the team to glory on various occasions since taking up the ODI captaincy role. Despite making his first international appearance since January this year, there was no drop in performance for the 34-year-old as his four-fer inspired Bangladesh to a 48-run victory.

“I did not say anything, just reminded them to play their hearts out and to lift their spirits as they are playing for their country,” Mashrafe revealed when asked about his pep talk.

Bangladesh started the match with a blow as opener Anamul Haque returned to the pavilion for a duck. Tamim and Shakib then took a cautious approach and ensured a smooth route to a good total.

Shakib was three runs short of a century when Devendra Bishoo broke his 207-run stand with Tamim. The latter, however, picked up his tenth ODI hundred and remained unbeaten while Mushfiq's cameo accelerated the run rate by adding 51 runs in the last 20 deliveries of the innings.

“If they [Tamim and Shakib] didn't bat that way on that turning wicket, we would have ended up on around 220 runs.

“We wanted to ensure that we reached 250. They felt chasing at least 250 would be tough on this wicket. They didn't take up unnecessary time; they batted like the team had wanted them to bat.

“If their spinners took one or two wickets, we would have been in trouble.

“The cameo at the end by Mushfiqur was just the kind of innings that gives you the momentum. We always knew if we can bowl well after putting something in the range of 280 runs,” said Mashrafe.

All four of the peak performers for Bangladesh were part of the team Bangladesh last played in Guyana during the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2007. A relatively young Bangladesh team had pulled off a shock victory over South Africa at that time.