Win impresses Faruque

There was talk that it could have been a much better show, but many were satisfied with the manner the Tigers posted a win in a crunch finish after such a long break. Former national captain and chief selector Faruque Ahmed echoed the second opinion as he said: "Not a bad start if you took consideration of everything. It's not too easy to keep the momentum this team had left last year, so they desperately required a wining start and they did  it which was the most important thing."

"I am satisfied with the performance of the team on their return to international cricket after such a long break and yes, there were a lot of issues the team needs to address but I am sure you will see a different team in the next games," he continued.

Faruque opined that the seven-run victory against Afghanistan in the first ODI on Sunday night at Mirpur was a good omen. "Yes, the total could have been much better but Tamim (Iqbal) was brilliant and he showed that he is now much more mature. Riyad (Mahmudullah) also batted brilliantly. They showed that experience matters. And Shakib [Al Hasan] played like Shakib; no need to explain anything, just think about the 47th over [bowled by Shakib] which was the turning point for the match.

"But to me the most encouraging fact was the way they handled the pressure to win the match. It's also happened because of the experience as they have had the experience to play so many close games. Australia won so many matches under crunch situations because they have the experience. It just showed that we are growing into a big team," he said.

Faruque, who resigned as chief selector as he was not ready to work under the new selection system, however raised a question about only one issue. "I think Al-Amin [Hossain] should be in the team as a performer. The explanation from the concerned people regarding his exclusion was not clear to me. It's not good to leave out any performer if there is no valid reason or explanation."