We know what we need to improve: Mehidy Hasan Miraz

As Bangladesh faced a 3-0 whitewash in the ODI series against West Indies after 10 years, captain Mehedi Hasan Miraz shared his thoughts on the loss and the challenges the team faced. Speaking at the post-match presentation, Miraz acknowledged the team's batting strengths, praised individual performances, and expressed regret over missing out on a personal century. However, he also pointed to the team's bowling shortcomings as a major factor behind the loss.

West Indies successfully chased down Bangladesh's target of 322 runs with 4 wickets and 25 balls to spare. Despite posting a solid total, Bangladesh was unable to defend it due to ineffective bowling. The standout performance for West Indies came from debutant Amir Jangoo, who scored a match-winning century. With this victory, West Indies completed a 3-0 whitewash of Bangladesh, the first such whitewash in 10 years.

Reflecting on his first series as captain, Miraz said, "We batted well, especially Soumya and Mahmudullah. Zaker Ali also finished well. But after that, we couldn't bowl well in the middle overs. We didn’t take enough wickets. We could have bowled better."

Miraz also highlighted the absence of three key players from the series: experienced campaigner Mushfiqur Rahim, regular captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, and middle-order anchor Tawhid Hridoy. He acknowledged that their absence was felt but emphasized that the young players must take more responsibility.

"Injuries have caused us to miss a few senior players in this series. As a result, I had to take responsibility at No. 4. It would have been better if I had scored a century today, but I gave my best. Mahmudullah has been around for a long time, and he performed very well, scoring three fifties in this series. The younger players had the chance to take responsibility, but unfortunately, we couldn't do that," Miraz explained.

Despite the whitewash, Miraz remains hopeful for a better performance in the upcoming Champions Trophy. He knows what needs to be done to improve and expressed his determination, saying, "After this series, we have the Champions Trophy coming up, and we know what we need to do. I hope we can improve and do better there."

Miraz's leadership and the team's resilience will be tested in the Champions Trophy, and the Bangladesh captain is committed to ensuring a strong comeback.