"You deserve all the credit," wrote veteran Bangladesh cricketer Mushfiqur Rahim on Facebook, praising Jaker Ali Anik's heroic 91 off 106 balls in the second innings of the final Test against the West Indies in Jamaica on Tuesday. Despite the bowling unit stealing the spotlight after the Tigers secured a massive 101-run win, Jaker's valiant knock will be etched in Bangladesh's cricketing folklore, given the stakes involved.

Playing only his third Test, the 26-year-old seized the moment when his team needed him most. Even as partners fell at the other end, Jaker stood firm, helping Bangladesh level the series and end their 15-year wait for a Test win on Caribbean soil.

Setting a target of 287 runs and leaving the hosts with a record run-chase at the venue, Jaker stayed undeterred. His defiance, demonstrated by clearing the Windies bowlers five times over the ropes, will linger in the memories of Bangladesh fans.

The wicketkeeper-batter scored 62 of his team's 75 runs on the fourth day after the visitors resumed on 193 for five. His efforts paved the way for Taijul Islam to spin the Windies batters into disarray, as they were bowled out for 185, with Taijul claiming five for 50.

"I know you will do the most epic things," Mushfiqur also said of Jaker, whose selection for Tests had drawn criticism. However, Rajin Saleh, Jaker's former Sylhet teammate and the team's current head coach, described it as "a quite familiar innings, as he often plays this kind of knock in the National Cricket League."

Jaker has already scored fifties in each of the three Tests he has played, becoming only the second Bangladeshi after Mominul Haque to achieve such a feat. Rajin believes he should have received his Test call-up before his T20I debut.

"In my observation, Jaker Ali is firstly a good Test player, then a good ODI player, and lastly a T20 player," Rajin told The Daily Star yesterday.

"Doing something like this against the West Indies, in the West Indies, is definitely a big achievement. I think it was difficult for him to score runs from the position he came in. It was a pressure situation, but he stood firm," he added.

Regardless of whether Jaker establishes himself as "a genuine Test player," as Rajin suggested, what is undeniable for now is that he has shown promise in providing a crucial safety net to the batting order during moments of crisis.