Bangladesh all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz is eyeing off an historic series triumph in Australia as the Asian side look to boost their chances of appearing in next year's ICC World Test Championship final.
Miraz played a starring role in Bangladesh's upset nine-wicket victory over the Aussies in Darwin in the first match of the two-game series, with the 28-year-old scoring a half-century to help give his side the ascendancy before completing a five-wicket haul on the final day to ensure the result.
It provides Bangladesh the opportunity to clinch a rare 2-0 series result when the teams move to Mackay in north Queensland for the second and final Test of the series and Miraz believes his side is well placed to complete the rout.
“Of course we are thinking that way [clinching the series] and we want to stay focused on the approach we’ve taken," he said.
"Since we won the first match, an even bigger challenge awaits us. [But] winning a Test match is never easy. Right now, we just want to carry this momentum forward, and we’ll plan for the next match later."
Bangladesh received plenty of strong efforts from a variety of their XI across the first Test, with Player-of-the-Match Hasan Mahmud picking up six wickets in the first innings and nine for the match, opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim scoring a superb century when the game was on the line and Miraz making strong contributions with both bat and ball.
The victory came on the back of a disappointing thrashing to Cricket Australia XI just prior to the first Test when they were bowled out for just 54 in their second innings of Bangladesh's only tour match, but Miraz said the side's management never lost faith in their ability.
“When I was struggling myself, our team manager, Nafis Iqbal, gave me a lot of encouragement on how to play in these conditions.
"I was very happy mentally and talked to him a lot. At one point, he even bowled to me in the nets, and I faced his bowling.
"I also want to mention Mushtaq Ahmed from the team management. After we lost the first match, he went to every single player and told us, 'Have faith. If you believe, winning is possible, and faith can take you a long way. Starting from those small things, we began to believe, and you can all see the results today."
The second Test commences in Mackay on Saturday, where a victory for Bangladesh will catapult them past Australia and into third place on the World Test Championship standings as they attempt to win a place in the final for the first time.