Miraz reveals what went wrong in opening Test against WI
|| CF DESK ||
West Indies took the lead in the series, claiming a commanding 201-run victory over Bangladesh in the first Test in Antigua. Bangladesh's stand-in captain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, acknowledged that the game slipped out of their hands during the West Indies' first innings when the hosts recovered from 261 for seven to post a formidable total of 450.
Tail-ender Kemar Roach played a marathon knock, facing 144 deliveries—the most he has ever faced in an innings—causing the Bangladesh bowlers to falter on day two.
His 140-run partnership with centurion Justin Greaves set a record as the highest eighth-wicket stand against Bangladesh in Tests.
After enduring over a day on the field, Bangladesh's batters showed some resilience, scoring 269 for nine in their first innings.
In the second innings, Taskin Ahmed delivered a remarkable performance with the ball, taking six for 64—the best figures by a Bangladeshi fast bowler in the Caribbean—to bowl the West Indies out for 152.
Reflecting on the match, Miraz stated that while their bowling effort was commendable, the pivotal Greaves-Roach partnership shifted the momentum in the West Indies' favor.
"We bowled really well and Taskin got six wickets. I think they had good partnerships, especially when they were down seven wickets, they got a 140-run partnership. I think the game went away from us there," he said
The batting was once again the problem area as Bangladesh could only survive 38 overs, all out for 132 in the second innings in chase of 334.
"There are some positive sides but we didn't bat well in this match. We made some mistakes. We hope to come back strongly and it's a good opportunity. We know the mistakes we made in this match. We need to improve a lot. We are going to chat and we had conversations within the team," Miraz added.