'We'll come back strongly': Miraz after heavy defeat

Bangladesh, trapped in a cycle of batting failures, has yet to find direction during their West Indies tour. The team, which had lost four consecutive Tests across home and away series, continues to struggle in the Caribbean. With dismal batting performances in both innings, Bangladesh conceded a heavy 201-run defeat. However, captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz remains optimistic, expressing hope for a strong comeback in the second and final Test of the series.

Winning the toss, Miraz opted to bowl, aiming to capitalise on the pitch conditions. The bowlers initially executed the team's plans effectively, reducing the West Indies to 261 for 7. However, a pivotal 140-run partnership for the eighth wicket saw the hosts declare at 450 for 9. In response, Bangladesh fell 181 runs short, declaring their innings at 269 for 9. Chasing a target of 334 in the second innings, Bangladesh's batting woes continued, and they were bowled out for a mere 132 runs.

Miraz cited the 140-run eighth-wicket stand as the turning point of the match, acknowledging that it slipped away at that moment. Nevertheless, he admitted that batting failures were the primary reason for the loss during the post-match presentation ceremony.

"I think we bowled really well; Taskin took six wickets. But the West Indies formed a strong partnership. After losing seven wickets, they added 140 runs. I feel we fell behind at that stage. Even so, there are many positives to take from this match. But honestly, our batting wasn't good. We made several mistakes, though such things can happen in matches," Miraz reflected.

Injuries ruled out regular captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim for the West Indies series. Complications have also kept Shakib Al Hasan from participating. The current squad is predominantly youth-based. Despite this, Miraz remains hopeful of a turnaround, saying, "I hope we can bounce back strongly. We know the mistakes we made in this match. There's a lot of improvement needed. We've already discussed how to perform better in the next match."

Taskin Ahmed, who took two wickets in the first innings, claimed six in the second. Hasan Mahmud also bowled impressively. Miraz expressed satisfaction with the pacers' performances, stating, "At this moment, we have some excellent pacers in our team. Taskin, Hasan, and Nahid Rana (who didn't play this match) are bowling really well. They've worked hard over the last few years. We're pleased with the bowlers. We also have a spinner like Taijul, who bowled brilliantly in the first innings. I'm happy with the bowling unit."

Bangladesh's batting order has been consistently failing since the India tour. While the bowlers create opportunities, the batsmen squander them, causing the team to fall behind. Discussing the need for improvement, the captain said, "We know there were several mistakes in this match. We couldn't bat well in either innings. The batsmen need to talk about how we can perform better."