Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz conveyed that scoring a century was not his primary focus during the opening ODI against West Indies in St Kitts; instead, his goal was to contribute significantly to the team’s score. Mehidy managed to score 74 runs off 101 balls, helping Bangladesh reach a total of 294. Despite his efforts, the West Indies, led by Sherfane Rutherford’s century, secured victory with 14 balls remaining.
Mehidy highlighted the importance of building partnerships after the team lost two early wickets and Tanzid Hasan during their innings. He mentioned that his objective was simply to support the team and set a competitive score, noting that he aimed for a total of over 300 due to the nature of the pitch.
He explained that, having lost established players, he chose to play conservatively to avoid putting additional pressure on new batsmen. He praised the finishing efforts of Jaker Ali and Mahmudullah Riyad, stating that their contributions were vital to reaching a respectable total.
Acknowledging the absence of senior players like Mushfiqur Rahim and Najmul Hossain Shanto due to injuries, Mehidy viewed this as a valuable learning opportunity for the younger players. He expressed optimism about the series, stating that a single loss did not eliminate their chances of winning. Mehidy concluded that despite losing, there were many positives to take from the game and areas for improvement to increase their chances in future matches.