Shanto urges Bangladesh to show character after crushing defeat by South Africa

Dhaka: Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto has called for a collective effort from his team following their seven-wicket loss to South Africa in the first Test at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. Needing 106 runs to win, South Africa had little trouble during their chase in the fourth innings, guided by Tony de Zorzi’s 41 and Tristan Stubbs’ 30 not out, taking the game by seven wickets. “We lost as a team. We are not pointing out any individual things, but we lost as a team. First of all, we need to take responsibility as a batting group, especially when handling the new ball,” Shanto said during the post-match presentation. Mehidy, who scored 97 in Bangladesh’s second innings, helped the hosts claw back into the game after they conceded a massive 202-run first-innings deficit. Mehidy’s knock gave Bangladesh a glimmer of hope, and Shanto hailed the character he showed under pressure. “Mehidy Hasan Miraz showed great character to bring us back. We haven’t done that often in the past, and that was a great thing. It’s a big plus that we were able to show some fight, even though we were so far behind. As a bowling group, we also need to show improvement. We need to put in a collective performance as a team in the next Test match.” he said. Mehidy also reached a significant milestone during the match, becoming only the third player after Ben Stokes and Ravindra Jadeja to score 500 runs and take 30 wickets in a single edition of the World Test Championship (WTC). The loss in Mirpur marks Bangladesh’s third consecutive Test defeat, following a 2-0 series loss to India. The second Test will be played from October 29 in Chattogram. –IANS