Shanto, Taijul grab the brass ring
When Shakib Al Hasan got ruled out of Bangladesh's home Test series against New Zealand due to injury, the hosts suffered a double blow as they lost their leader and their best all-rounder at the same time.
The void created by the skipper's unavailability only got accentuated by the absences of other experienced players like Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das and Taskin Ahmed, leaving the team vulnerable against a full-strength New Zealand side.
But the absence of familiar faces, Shakib in particular, made space for other players to step up – an opportunity Najmul Hossain Shanto and Taijul Islam grabbed with both hands in the Sylhet Test, which concluded yesterday, playing key roles in a monumental 150-run victory.
Shanto, the stand-in captain for the Test series, was Bangladesh's best performer with the bat in the match as it was his century in the second innings that helped the team set a daunting target for the Kiwis.
But the 25-year-old's impact in the match can't solely be measured through his returns with the bat.
Shanto, who made his captaincy debut in Tests in the match, exuded confidence right from the pre-match press conference, where he didn't give vague statements of hoping to do well, but declared that he is eyeing a series win.
The first day didn't go too well for the left-hander, as he got caught off a full-toss from part-timer Glenn Phillips, after he had chosen to bat first.
The soft dismissal, however, didn't rattle him mentally as he made up for his earlier gaffe with a match defining century in the second innings.
On the field, Shanto marshalled his troops like an experienced skipper and even took inspired captaincy calls.
His decision to use part-timer Mominul Haque in the first innings paid dividends twice as the left-arm spinner broke a 78-run partnership between Phillips and Kane Williamson and then a stubborn ninth-wicket stand between Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson, stopping New Zealand from getting a sizable lead.
Even after achieving the monumental victory, Shanto didn't lose sight of his main goal, winning the series.
"There is still one match to go. The job's half done. It's not like we will just show up and win the match. We will again have to work hard for five days," the stand-in skipper told reporters after the match.
Taijul, on the other hand, has been the leader of the Bangladesh spin attack in home Tests for some time now, without anyone really noticing.
Despite featuring in 14 Tests to Shakib's seven since 2021, Taijul has been mostly overshadowed by the ace all-rounder.
In the Sylhet Test, the wicket was neither a rank turner nor a low and slow track like the ones the Tigers are accustomed to having in home Tests.
The 31-year-old had to use all his experience and bag of tricks to first keep a tight leash on the Kiwi batters while also picking up wickets in regular intervals, finishing with match figures of 10-184 to be rightfully named the player-of-the-match.
Incidentally, Bangladesh's only other Test win over New Zealand also came in a match where Shakib and Tamim were missing.
In that game in Mount Maunganui in 2022, captain Mominul and Ebadot Hossain played pivotal roles in the victory, similar to what Shanto and Taijul have done in Sylhet.
Both wins indicate the same thing -- Bangladesh do not need to depend on the same few faces to win matches all the time.
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