Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim believes Mehedi Hasan could develop into a great all-rounder following the teenager's remarkable debut Test series against England.
Read: >Mehedi magnificent as Bangladesh earns series draw with historic win
Mehedi spun the Tigers to a famous victory in Dhaka on Sunday, returning 6-77 — his second six-wicket haul of the match — as Alastair Cook's tourists slumped from 100 without loss to 164 all out.
Read: >Inexperience showed for England, says Cook
A first Test success against England ensured Bangladesh drew the two-match series, with Mehedi having also claimed seven scalps in a losing cause on debut in Chittagong.
Mushfiqur lauded the performances of the 19-year-old, but insisted Mehedi still has much more to offer.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, the Tigers' skipper said: "We knew that he [Mehedi] was going to shine but we didn't know that in this series he would shine like this. It's a great effort for him but I think this is only the beginning. He is a good batsman also. He didn't show that [in these Tests], but hopefully in future he will be a great all-rounder for Bangladesh."
Five of Bangladesh's seven previous Test wins had come against minnows Zimbabwe, with West Indies the only other team they had beaten in the five-day format.
Victory over England, therefore, represented a landmark occasion and Mushfiqur added: "It's really a great moment for Bangladesh cricket. The Test was up and down and you never knew which team was going to win. The boys really showed their character."
"The coach [Chandika Hathurusingha] was a bit fired-up to us [during the tea interval]. They were 100 for none, but we had to believe that if we got one wicket at least [things would change], because on that track for the new batsman it becomes very difficult. To be honest our guys didn't bowl that well in that period [before tea]. After that, they bowled really well and also the wicket played differently."
Mushfiqur is now hoping Bangladesh can enjoy success on foreign soil, after impressing in a series that had been in danger of being cancelled due to security concerns.
"The last two years we have played really well in our home conditions. Our next challenge is now overseas. We have to adapt really well in those series," Mushfiqur stated.
"We are getting there. If we play more Tests I think there will be more good results coming our way. Hopefully the ICC and the board will set up a couple of series against the big boys. I want to say thanks to the ECB and the England cricket team for coming here. And also the security, they have been great."
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