The singing of the T20 song is still ongoing, which is natural as the national team have just returned home after playing the ICC World Twenty20 in India. The autopsy of the performance, analysis, future plans and much more are being discussed regarding the Tigers' possibility to make a mark on the shortest version of the game, which will reflect their ascendency in the 50-over competition.

Bangladesh is probably the only country who is so engrossed in limited-overs cricket for such a long time. Under the charismatic leadership of Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, the Tigers achieved one landmark after another in limited-overs cricket since the ICC World Cup last year in Australia-New Zealand which has apparently placed the urgency to improve their Test cricket in the backseat. So when the Tigers will go to play their first Test after nearly a year-long break in August this year, will the same old cry for the need to play more longer-version cricket return if Bangladesh continue to struggle in the format?

So far the Tigers have hardly any chance to play any longer-version match before their return to Test cricket when they travel to India to play their first Test on Indian soil in August this year. The only domestic competition they will play before then is a 50-over league. Bangladesh played their last Test series against South Africa in July-August last year, that too a heavily rain-affected one. The country hosted its last domestic longer-version competition, the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL), without their key national players.

The Bangladesh team management will rely on practice sessions for Test preparation, but the importance of match practice cannot be overlooked. One need not look too far back for examples; while Mashrafe's leadership and coach Chandika Hathurusingha's planning helped Bangladesh show signs of improvement in T20 during the Asia Cup and the World T20, one cannot deny the substantial impact of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) on that improvement.

“It will be a big challenge and nothing would have been better than getting a few longer-version matches before the Test return but now we have to live with the reality that some of our players played BCL and most of the players are experienced in Test cricket,” said chief selector Faruque Ahmed, who was satisfied with the team's recent T20 improvement.

“Because of the schedule we have no other option other than to plan well for practice and I am sure like limited-overs cricket our team management will set a good plan for the Test return. Still you can create good habits only by playing in the middle, so we need to adjust our calendar in the future,” he continued.

The Tigers have certainly turned a corner in limited-overs cricket, but they need to show their character in Test cricket -- the oldest format of the game -- to earn enduring respect. Test skipper Mushfiqur Rahim probably described it best when after the last away series in Sri Lanka: “You can play as many ODIs and T20s you want, but Test cricket is the ultimate. You have periods of long struggle in Test cricket, it builds character and confidence."