Revenge is sweet, admits skipper Shakib

– Bangladesh Test skipper Shakib al Hasan (right) is pleased his team were able to get payback for the humiliation they suffered at the hands of the West Indies earlier this year.

Bangladesh completed a 2-0 sweep of the West Indies inside three days in Dhaka on Sunday, recording their first ever victory by an innings in the second Test.

The visitors recorded a few other unwanted records during the match, becoming the first side to be asked to follow on after a first-innings total of 111 in Dhaka – the lowest Test score ever recorded against Bangladesh.

Dhaka

It was exactly the response Shakib said he had expected from his team after losing two Tests in the Caribbean in July – by an innings and 219 runs, and by 166 runs.

Bangladesh were bowled out for 43 in the first innings in Antigua’s series opener, their lowest in any Test.

“I think everyone who was in the West Indies did not expect that kind of performance,” Shakib told reporters after the second-Test win on Sunday.

“This is why we wanted to do something. They took their home advantage, we took ours.

“To be frank, I was very demanding in this series. I was looking for an extra effort from all. We had a point to prove after losing that way,” said Shakib.

While the West Indies had relied on the swing and pace of seamers, the Tigers used their spin-quartet to exact revenge.

Their four spinners – Shakib, Mehidy Hasan, Taijul Islam and Nayeem Hasan – accounted for all 40 wickets, a record for a Test series in Bangladesh.

The win in the second Test was “special” to Shakib because it saw the twin firsts of forcing the follow-on and an innings victory. In previous 111 Tests Bangladesh had more often been on the receiving end of such drubbings, suffering defeat by an innings 38 times and following on 15 times.

“You see we played over 100 Tests. For the first time we did this (enforcing a follow-on), of course this is special,” said Shakib.

“We have been playing Test cricket for 18 years. In the meantime we also played against a few smaller teams, but we could not do that. So I think it’s a big achievement,” he added.

The West Indies will also play three one-day internationals and three T20 internationals. –