Still have a long way to go: Miraz

When Mehedi Hasan Miraz had Karim Janat stumped to see Afghanistan bundled out for just 146 runs in their first innings, the off-spinner became only the third Bangladeshi bowler to pick 150 wickets in Tests.

The 25-year-old reached the feat on his 39th Test. Shakib Al Hasan, with 233 Test wickets, was the first to reach the feat while Taijul Islam, with 177 wickets, was the second one to achieve it. 

Miraz made an impressive debut in 2016 when he took 19 wickets in the Test series against England, the best series haul by a Bangladeshi bowler.

The all-rounder, however, went through ups and downs before eventually becoming a consistent performer for the Tigers. And according to Miraz, he still has a long way to go. 

"When I started in 2016, it was through Test cricket and I got 19 wickets in my first two Test matches. It was a huge moment for me as I made my debut and now I got 150 wickets beside my name and definitely it feels good," said Miraz on Thursday.

"I have seen both ups and downs since then and there are instances when I was unable to pick up a wicket after bowling seventy overs in a game – which happened against South Africa, I went through such moments as well. So, it feels good when I look back. After getting 150 wickets, I feel I still have a long way to go and this is just the start as I want to contribute more for the Bangladesh team," he said.

Miraz was the fastest Bangladesh bowler to take 100 Test wickets, doing so in just 24 Tests. 

"It is difficult for a player to remain consistent and since we are continuously playing, it might happen that we will be experiencing both bad and good patches. But we have to be mentally strong enough to be able to make a comeback from those tough times.

"Since we will play two more Test matches later this year and this is the last Test before the World Cup, I will try to remain consistent and prepare better for the upcoming Tests and perform," he added.