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A SERIES TO SAVOUR

Bishwajit Roy
If anybody terms January as the month of fairytales for Bangladesh's
cricket, itwill not be an exaggeration.
The series against Zimbabwe came to an end on the last day of the month in grand style and there were hardly any dreams left unfulfilled.
The Tigers even broke the series myth that that the luck of the coin was a must to win matches by successfully chasing 198 with some devastating batting from Aftab Ahmed and Mohammad Rafique. Naturally, captain Habibul Bashar sported a smile that can only come after a satisfying well-earned triumph.
"The way we finished the demanding series was fantastic. It was an amazing experience. We tasted our maiden Test victory in Chittagong, managed to draw the second Test from a difficult situation and finally clinched the one-day series from being 2-0 down. I couldn't have asked for more," said a delighted Bashar.
Despite the thumping margin of victory in the last match for the home team, the series was keenly contested and Zimbabwe made themselves proud by fighting all the way. But there was no denying that Bangladesh definitely had the edge in terms of experience.
"They just played very clever and smart cricket in the series. We believe the better side won," said vice-captain Mluleki Nkala, who appeared in the post-match briefing in absence of skipper Tatenda Taibu who had suffered a leg injury in the field.
Bashar was asked about the positives from this series which he would like to carry on to the next assignment against England in May
and the 32-year-old responded with a single word "confidence."
"We have a lot of talent in the squad and there was never any doubts about their potential. But we have struggled along the way as we lacked confidence. We are very much aware that our next mission will be a difficult one but we have gained the confidence from this series to fight better against stronger sides,"said Bashar.
"Our challenge in this series was to prove that we were the better side and now we can safely proclaim that. Especially in this last game, it was amazing to see the way our batsmen dominated," Bashar added.
Bangladesh's premier batsman admitted that at times the pressure of high expectation threatened to get to them but the players showed great maturity under those circumstances.
"Never before have we started a series thinking we would win but this time it was a different scenario. And as people of this country are extremely passionate about cricket, we are always hearing all kinds of suggestions some of which are difficult to take as an international cricketer. But I must say the boys handled those situations brilliantly. Everybody was focused on making dreams come true.
"They never gave up hope even when we trailed the one-day series 0-2 and I think that is most significant sign for our future. I guess this 3-2 win is better than a clean sweep if you considered the character of the series. Now we have learned how to make a come back," said Bashar.
Bashar thought the destructive batting Aftab Ahmed showed yesterday was just a glimpse of the future.
"We are satisfied that all the batsmen scored runs in the series. Aftab failed to click in the Test series but he came back in the one-dayers and what he did today was simply unavailable," he said.
Bashar also lauded the performance of his bowlers. "The spinners might have played a decisive role but I must say the pacers also bowled brilliantly."
Nkala felt it was a series where they were always playing catch-up cricket.
"It was never going to be easy to win the series. We were a new team and came here without any wins behind us. When we won the first ODI, we were very happy and when we also won the second game, we were overjoyed. We obviously wanted to win the series but we were under an illusion. Bangladesh just rolled over us," said Nkala who at 26, was the most experienced member of the young side.
"Bangladesh bowled really well. They obviously picked their team according to the conditions which was new to all of us. I think most of the guys haven't played international cricket on pitches that were slow, low, had a bit of turn and with three left arm spinners Bangladesh were always going to be difficult," added Nkala.