Tigers' turning point

It was not a time and occasion to keep emotions in check. And Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim and coach Chandika Hathurusingha did not quell their emotions while they were speaking in the post-match briefing regarding the team's fight-back on the way to drawing the first Test against Pakistan; which according to skipper Mushfiqur was no less than a victory.

They were straightforward in saying that it was the biggest achievement in Bangladesh cricket history and that they left their mark on the map of the glorious history of Test cricket.

The amazing effort from Tigers' tent one after another, like Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes' fearless batting, begged the question regarding what had inspired these performances. If you look at the views of Hathurusingha -- who generally has a reserved approach after any success, but could not control his emotion yesterday -- then it came from their skill, while Mushfiqur believed it stemmed from their big dreams.

"We have this belief that the bigger your dream, the more you will strive for it. If Kayes and Tamim thought that they would have a hundred-run partnership, then maybe they would not break the record. But they didn't think that, they thought that this is the chance, let's see how much we score," said an excited Mushfiqur.

"As I said it's really big. I have never seen a fight-back like that. Pakistan's bowling attack, for me, is arguably one of the best bowling attacks on this type of wicket in Test cricket. So, going against them under pressure, 300 runs behind, it's a hell of an achievement.

"I don't think the wicket helped us draw the game. It was our skill and batters' skill which helped us draw the game. So hats off to all the batters. And even to Taijul, he played that six-wicket hand," said Hathurusingha, adding that he emphasizes on clarity and freedom so the players can make their own decision in the middle.

Both captain and coach understandably poured praise on the Tamim-Imrul record partnership, but the captain had some special words for Imrul as he performed under pressure.

When the coach termed it a turning point in Bangladesh cricket, captain Mushfiqur said that Bangladesh had never dominated a Test against a good team like this before, but he also stressed the importance of holding on to their form, because holding on to anything is very hard, especially when they are dreaming of a win in the second and final Test at Mirpur from May 6.