'Hats off to our skipper, Mominul Haque' - Tamil Iqbal ecstatic after Bangladesh's historic victory in New Zealand

Despite the topsy-turvy form of Bangladesh in the longest format of the game in the recent past, their victory in the first of the two-match Test series against New Zealand would certainly go down in their record books as one of their greatest victories. This also happens to be their first win in New Zealand soil ever.

This is their first Test win against the Black Caps, as well as their first victory against a top-five Test team away from home. Thus, Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal wrote a heartfelt note after the emphatic victory of the Asian side. He spoke about how the current Test skipper Monimul Haque stood by the team when they were going through a tough phase.

“When the team went through a rough patch, when no one believed in the team when the players doubted themselves, there was one person who still did not lose faith. He kept on believing and tried to instill the belief in everyone that we can, we definitely can,” Tamim Iqbal wrote in a FB post.

Year after year, series after series, we returned empty-handed from NZ: Tamil Iqbal

“There were bad days and poor performances. But that did not see him lose faith in the team. His emotions for Test cricket are immense and he prioritizes the format most. Mominul Haque. Hats off to our Test skipper,” he added.

He then mentioned the fact that the Bangla tigers kept returning empty-handed from New Zealand, and how iconic of a win this truly was. The 32-year-old felt that beating the Kiwis in their den was one of the hardest tasks in the recent past as well. Thus he was mighty impressed and proud of the Haque-led side.

“Year after year, series after series, we returned empty-handed from New Zealand. For many reasons, the situation was even tougher this time. But this team managed a win amid all these setbacks. It is one of the toughest things in cricket nowadays to beat New Zealand in their home. And we showed that we can!” he said.

A sensational spell from Ebadot Hossain ensured that the hosts only manage to get 169 in the third innings. Thus the visitors needed just 40 in the fourth innings, which they chased rather comfortably.