Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz believes that their 2-1 one-day international series win over the West Indies would give them momentum ahead of their key assignments leading up to the forthcoming ICC Cricket World Cup in 2027.
Bangladesh entered the series under pressure on the back of four consecutive ODI series defeats, three under new captain Mehidy.
However, the hosts managed to turn it around by registering a 179-run victory in the series decider at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Thursday.
鈥業t was very crucial for Bangladesh to get back into winning ways,鈥� Mehidy told reporters after the match on Thursday.
鈥榃e鈥檝e had a bad run, but this possibly is the series that turns things around. I hope next year, when more [ODI] matches come, the boys understand what we鈥檙e doing.鈥�
Bangladesh won the first match by 74 runs to break their five-match losing streak. The series had been level after the West Indies secured the second game in super over after the match ended in a tie.
In the third and final ODI, openers Soumya Sarkar and Saif Hassan put the hosts in control with a 176-run stand 鈥� the highest opening partnership at Mirpur and Bangladesh鈥檚 first century stand since 2023.
Their efforts helped Tigers post 296-8 before the spinners ran through the visitors鈥� batters to restrict them to 117, securing the second-largest ODI win and their biggest ever against the West Indies.
鈥楾he way Soumya and Saif batted was excellent. It鈥檚 not easy to bat on this surface, but they took responsibility and hit boundaries early on. We discussed how to play in these conditions and agreed we had to stay positive; otherwise, we cannot get runs,鈥� said Mehidy.
Mehidy also defended the use of the home advantage by utilising the spin-friendly surface of the Mirpur, which looked quite different and came under scrutiny again due to its low bounce and sharp turn.
In the series where the spinners took 44 wickets, the most in a three-match ODI series. Bangladesh spinners took 26, and the West Indies picked up 18 wickets; the previous highest was 43, which was between India and Sri Lanka in 2024.
However, he insisted that home advantage was an integral part of the game.
鈥榃herever you play in the world, whoever we play against, they take the home advantage. And I believe that when I played in New Zealand, they took the home advantage. So, if any team comes to Bangladesh, we will definitely take our home advantage,鈥� he said.
Mehidy also credited his bowlers, particularly leg-spinner Rishad Hossain, for maintaining control throughout the series.
Rishad finished with 12 wickets, the most by a spinner in an ODI series and second overall behind Mustafizur Rahman鈥檚 13 against India in 2015.
鈥楻ishad played really well throughout the series. It鈥檚 easy for the captain when everybody steps up. Everyone maintained line and length, and credit definitely goes to the whole team,鈥� he added.
