'Our biggest achievement'

'That was a typical Tamim Iqbal way of reaching a double century,' tweeted one of the many fans of the left-hander, soon after he danced down the track and smacked Junaid Khan straight back for six. It was perhaps the most risky and audacious way to reach one's double hundred and yet that's Tamim for you.

It has been a while since Tamim's fans have been able to use these catchphrases; his last two centuries after all were the slowest in his career.  As a result, when the left-hander danced down the track thrice to leap towards his double-century, it left almost everyone on the edge of their seats for the Tamim they all knew was back.

"I started thinking about the double on 169 and then those three sixes happened. When I was on 195, I knew he [Junaid] was going to bowl there. I was setting him up. I enjoyed reaching the target that way," smiled the left-hander.

It was a shot that not only took him to his first double hundred, but also made him the highest run-getter in an innings for Bangladesh.

"I had set high standards for myself and I couldn't achieve that. By scoring a double hundred I have fulfilled one of my dreams and I am really happy. I want to steadily fulfil the other goals that I have as a cricketer and when I am able to do that, I will be the happiest man," said Tamim.

"I have complete belief that this record [highest Test score] will be broken again in the next one year. I expect Mushfiqur [Rahim] to break it because he is batting splendidly," added the opener.

The left-hander said that he wants to carry on with his good run for as long as possible.

"I am enjoying my batting and I want to continue this feeling and this form. So that when the bad times come, there won't be as much criticism.

"It's a characteristic of good players such as Kumar Sangakkara… they play so well that when they go through a rough patch there's no scope to speak against them. I am going to try to continue this for as long as possible," explained Tamim.

He further added that drawing the match was Bangladesh's 'biggest achievement' in Test cricket. And the success was solely based on a record opening stand between Tamim and Imrul Kayes.

If Tamim's test was to live up to his expectations, Imrul had to prove himself worthy of the opening slot.

"I didn't even know if I was going to be in the playing eleven. I had a bad World Cup and I didn't perform well in the Bangladesh Cricket League either. People were talking about me.

"That's when I told myself that I would give it my all had I gotten another chance and thank God everything went well," said Imrul.

Imrul, who volunteered to keep in place of Mushfiqur Rahim, struggled with muscle cramps on his way to the three-figure mark on Friday. He began fresh yesterday and became only the fifth Bangladeshi player to score 150. His effort displayed just how big a heart the left-hander has.

"I couldn't even sleep properly for five minutes on Friday night, I was really tired. It made me realise how hard Mushfiqur's job is," said Imrul.

The openers broke a series of partnership records in their quest for the draw and praised each other for their respective supportive measures.