Mashrafe warns teammates over Test challenges against South Africa, Australia after ODI series win

Skipper Mashrafe bin Mortaza has alerted his teammates to the challenges that lie ahead in Tests against South Africa and Australia as Bangladesh are flying high with fourth consecutive ODI series win at home.

Recalling the success in the 2015 World Cup, he said on Wednesday: “We played well in the World Cup and carried that confidence here. We have four Tests to play now (against South Africa and Australia).

“I hope these one-day victories would help play well there (in the Tests),” Mashrafe, who has not played Test since 2009, said.

Having been with the team in bad times, he said, “Once we used to dream of beating big teams in this manner. Now we are able to do that.”

He asked his players to keep their feet on the ground ‘as a professional team’.

“I would like to ask them to be disciplined both on and off the field. Because, tough challenges will come one after another,” he warned.

Not much celebration

It seems that the Tigers are used to winning ODI series against big teams.

They were seen only patting one another in the back after Wednesday’s crushing 9-wicket win like they do after ‘small’ victories.

Mashrafe said in the post-match press conference that nothing out of the ordinary would be done to celebrate the latest victory.

“Actually we don’t celebrate that much. We sing ‘We shall overcome’ at the dressing room - that’s all.

“Other teams do many things. They may do many things together in the night, but we don’t. We just go to our rooms,” he said.

He, however, said the Tigers should celebrate victories for encouragement.

“We should [celebrate]. It gets difficult to find these things when a team loses. So it is very important to use such times well.

“It is not that we should stay up at night. But we can be together any other time,” he added.