Opener Tamim Iqbal followed his ODI ton with a magnificent double century in first test against Pakistan which helped the nation to draw the first test comprehensively.
The incredible opening stand between Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes crossed the 300-run mark, which proved all Pakistani calculations wrong. Finally, the test match was drawn. It was for the first time in nine Tests that Pakistan were not able to force a win against Bangladesh.
Tamim achieved the highest individual score by a Bangladeshi in Tests to help the hosts ground out a creditable draw. This was for the first time that they drew a Test match against Pakistan. It was high-octane stuff from Tamim as he smashed the opposition to shreds and scored a double ton.
Tamim made 200, Kayes 150 and Shakib helped himself to a fifty plus score. There was a triple hundred stand for the opening wicket in Tests for Bangladesh today as well. Pakistan tried whatever they could, engaged in a bit of verbal banter too but eventually the pitch won.
A close look at the ODI wins against Pakistan reveals that the margins have been convincingly large: 79 runs, seven and eight wickets, respectively. They have managed to prove that their maiden quarter-final appearance in the 2015 ICC World Cup was no fluke as they headed into the bilateral home series against Pakistan.
Ace all-rounder Shakib al Hasan correctly predicted that the home side would start as favourites in the Pakistan series but even a determined cricketer like him would have been amazed at the clinical victories of Bangla tigers.
This performance of Bangladesh reminds us of 2012 Asia Cup when the “so-called” minnows of cricket fell just two runs short of their biggest cricketing feat.
After losing their first match to Pakistan, they managed to beat India and Sri Lanka to qualify for the final of Asia Cup. There Pakistan could only manage to score 236 in 50 overs but what happened next was nothing less than a miracle. Bangladesh had a good start and at half-way stage, it was sure that the Bangla tigers would lift the trophy but their lower batting order fell apart thus losing the match by just 2 runs.
It was a heart-break not only for the Bangladesh cricketers but for all their fans around the world. The Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur was filled with the emotions. The Bangla tigers were seen crying badly on the field. This could have been the biggest win in Bangladesh cricket history. They might not have won the series but they certainly won the hearts of cricket fraternity around the world. Their defeat also proved that their win against any team like Australia, South Africa, India, etc cannot be called as ‘upsets'.
