'It was my fault that we lost the match' - Shanto takes blame for Sylhet defeat

From his horrendous shot to get out at the start of the fourth day to the increased salaries the players now get to the market value of Bangladesh cricket, the questions were varied and came to Najmul Hossain Shanto like gunfire at the press conference following the Sylhet Test defeat to Zimbabwe.

He was upfront about the shot he had played and the impact it had on the game, but fumbled for answers to the trickier questions. Transitions could be brutal on captains, especially when you have lost to a lower-ranked, unfancied side.

"It was my fault that we lost the match, that's the truth," Shanto said. "My wicket early in the morning [off the second ball of the day] ruined the whole match for us. If we [Shanto and Jaker Ali] had added 50 or 60 more runs at that time, we would be in a better position. I don't want to blame anyone else. I am taking all the responsibilities since my dismissal came at a very bad time. I always think about taking scoring opportunities. Maybe I could have taken more time [before playing my shots]. But I will play that shot [again], maybe the timing wasn't right [on this occasion]."

Shanto fell when he attempted to pull a short delivery outside off from Blessing Muzarabani and ended up sending a leading edge to deep fine leg. But there were specialist batters left at 194 for 5. While Jaker continued his good touch in Tests, Shanto's deputy Mehidy Hasan Miraz was troubled by Zimbabwe's short-ball plan even as he tried to score quickly. He was one of the three wickets that Bangladesh lost in the first half-hour.

Bangladesh were guilty of not showing enough application, Shanto said, especially against Muzarabani, who finished with career-best match figures of 9 for 122.

"Of course, he [Muzarabani] bowled well, and there is some added advantage due to his height. But still, the batting unit should have taken a bit more responsibility," Shanto said. "We should have planned a bit better against him. He's their main bowler. It was necessary to handle his spells [better]. I think we did it for some time but that was not enough."

Bangladesh are also grappling with Mushfiqur Rahim's batting form. He is the veteran of the side, the last link to the previous era, but hasn't scored much since the 191 against Pakistan in the ten-wicket win in Rawalpindi last August. There is also the matter of Mushfiqur being just five Tests away from becoming the first Bangladesh cricketer to play 100 Tests.

But a best of 37 in his last 12 Test innings means Mushfiqur's place in the team is far from guaranteed, milestone or not.

"He is an experienced cricketer. He is not only contributing with his batting, he is a part of the planning group as well when we field," Shanto said. "He helps the batters. He talks a lot during training. Of course, his batting is important. I am not thinking about his milestone or achievements from the past, I don't think he is either. I hope, with one match remaining, he will make a comeback. I am not giving up hope. He has been in poor form in the past and made comebacks."

Shanto also defended their choice of pitch in Sylhet, which had more pace and carry than pitches in the country usually do. "I don't think we should take home advantage to such a great extent just because we have lost a match. I think we should play on this type of pitch against this opposition."

The bright spot for Bangladesh, not for the first time, was their spin bowling. Mehidy picked up ten wickets in the Test - becoming the third Bangladeshi to get to 200 Test wickets in the process - and Taijul Islam took two, both in the second innings, as Bangladesh made it tough for Zimbabwe. "Miraz and Taijul tried hard and they bowled extremely well," Shanto said. "Credit must be given. But I think there weren't enough runs on the board."