Shakib congratulates Tigers on historic win over New Zealand
"What a way to start the year for Bangladesh cricket. Big congratulations to captain, players and coaching staff," the southpaw tweeted.
Bangladesh were without at least two key players in the ongoing New Zealand tour, Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal. Two of Bangladesh's greatest ever Tigers. On top of that, they were fresh from losing a home Test despite getting enough help from the weather. Facing New Zealand, one of the best Test sides currently, in New Zealand is a different proposition altogether for not only Bangladesh but also teams from the subcontinent.
But nothing mattered at all in Mount Maunganui as they sealed the historic Test win over the hosts by 8 wickets.
It was by far their biggest win in Tests in terms of wickets in hand. It was the first time Bangladesh won an away Test match against one of the top five Test-playing nations. Bangladesh ended New Zealand's eight-series winning streak at home. It was the first time that New Zealand lost a home Test match since 2017.
Shakib, who skipped the NZ tour citing family reasons, congratulated Team Tigers on his verified Twitter handle on Wednesday. Shakib tweeted a couple of times during and after the epic match.
"What a way to start the year for Bangladesh cricket. Big congratulations to captain, players and coaching staff," the southpaw tweeted.
"Outstanding performance by our fast bowler and equally well played by all the batsmen. Enjoy the day. You guys deserve all the credit," another tweet of his read.
Shakib was initially included in the Test squad before finally being replaced by Fazle Rabbi as his 'official' request to skip the tour was accepted by BCB.
