It's still raining

There was a glimmer of hope in the afternoon yesterday when the skies cleared and the rains seemed to have taken a break. That little breather was enough for the curator to direct the groundsmen towards the covers. The covers came off, the two teams were called from the hotel and all everyone was waiting for was for the ground to dry up.

An inspection took place at 1:30 pm and the umpires decided that the game could begin at 2:15 pm. Charged up with the news, players from both the sides started warming up at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. However, just as the game was about to begin, the rains were back. Eventually, the third day of the second Test was called off at 3:10 pm.

While players from both sides voiced their concerns with regards to the inclement weather, there's no doubt that the Bangladeshi contingent is likely to be more disappointed with the outcomes of this series so far.

This was an opportunity for Bangladesh to face the world's best bowling attack. It was a chance for them to test their batting skills against the likes of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander. Mahmudullah Riyad had summed it up accurately during the first Test. The player, who had scored a half-century, had said that the hosts would gain plenty of confidence after this tour, for they were competing against the best.

Another aspect that would irk the hosts was the fact that at no point in the Test series did they seem like they were out of the game. In the first Test, the bowlers proved their mettle and continued their good run from the ODIs into the Test and bundled South Africa for a below-par total of 248.

What was even better to witness was Bangladesh's batting. Yes, the eventual lead of just 78 might have seemed far less than expected, considering the good start that the Tigers had gotten. However, the determination with which the batsmen batted to topple the first innings score was a positive sign. It was something that Bangladesh's fans have rarely witnessed in the Test arena.

Before the start of the second Test, there were plenty of talks regarding Bangladesh's below-par performances in the latter stages of a Test series and how they have generally put in poorer performances in the second and third Tests of a series.

The batsmen though defied those talks by actually putting in a decent performance in Mirpur as well. There were two half-century stands at the top and there were phases in the game which the hosts completely dominated. Sure enough, 240-odd for eight wasn't a good position to be in at the end of the opening day, but the score didn't exactly reflect the true essence of Bangladesh's batting.

The turning point of course, was the fall of Mushfiqur Rahim, who had seemed to have found himself after a long time with the long handle.

One would hope that the Tigers can hold on to the positive steps that they have taken in this Test and not compare these matches to their previous rain-affected draws, for the intent they showed in this series was rarely seen before.