‘We will play to win’

Bangladesh fast bowler Khaled Ahmed said the Tigers will still be going for a win and that they want to take the game deep after the second day's play of the first Test against West Indies at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Saturday. 

"We will play to win," Khaled stated. "Our focus will be how big the batters can score and to keep the scoreboard ticking so that the game can be decided on the fifth day," he added. 

The right-arm pacer took two crucial wickets for his side as he dismissed Kraigg Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood who were the highest scorers for the Carribeans. When asked about his individual performance, Khaled mentioned about bouncing back from his disappointing series against Sri Lanka.

"Actually, we did not want to lose our batters today as only 45 minutes were left( when I went to bat). And there were ample opportunities for me to get runs in the middle. I could not do it, but next time I will.

— Mehedi Hasan Miraz

"Since I didn't play well in my last two matches [against Sri Lanka], I tried to perform my best in the first innings. My plan was if I get the opportunity, I will try with the best of my abilities to do something like I did in South Africa," the 29-year-old said. 

Meanwhile, off-spinner Mahedi Hasan Miraz shared his disappointment after failing to contribute with the bat in their second innings while talking to Ian Bishop after the end of the day's play. Nonetheless, he said his side is keen to build partnerships and bat well throughout the third day of the match.

"Actually, we did not want to lose our batters today as only 45 minutes were left( when I went to bat). And there were ample opportunities for me to get runs in the middle. I could not do it, but next time I will.

"We want to play ball by ball. If the top order batters can get partnerships over two hundred, it might give us a chance.  We are thinking of batting for the whole day tomorrow," Miraz said.

Furthermore, Miraz's four-wicket haul in the first innings proved pivotal for the Tigers. When West Indies were looking solid with the bat, losing only four wickets after passing the 200-run mark, Miraz ripped through the Windies' lower order as his four for 59 restricted the hosts to 265. 

"I think the wicket is a little bit slow and it's best if you bowl in the right area all the time as the batters might end up making a mistake. In the first two or three spells, I was looking for wickets and that was the problem.

"Afterwards, I was trying to minimise it (conceding runs) because I felt if I concede about two or three runs per over, it might produce opportunities for me and it's just things like that (which worked for me)," he concluded.