Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan praised the visiting Ireland team for mounting a comeback on the third day of the Dhaka Test, but said that the hosts had never lost faith in themselves at any stage of the game. Ireland recovered from 13 for 4 - and then 51 for 5 - at one stage to eventually score 292 in the second innings, and set Bangladesh a respectable 138 to chase.
"We didn't think we would lose the Test, but in this format you get a lot of time to stage a comeback," Shakib said. "It is lesser in ODIs and even lesser in T20s. Ireland played well yesterday. We didn't expect it. They showed a lot of fight, but that's their nature. They are fighters. That's what they showed to us."
Bangladesh eventually won the solitary Test of the tour by seven wickets, although they had to be patient with the ball for most of the third day. It was arguably Ireland's best day in Test cricket, particularly poignant as they were playing the format after four years. Earlier in the match, although their batting had collapsed and folded for 214 in the first innings, their bowlers reduced Bangladesh to 40 for 3, before the hosts eventually ended 155 ahead.
Meanwhile, there were questions around the lack of overs that Shakib bowled on the third day, even as Ireland mounted a fight. Bangladesh's fast-bowling coach Allan Donald himself wasn't sure after play as to the motive behind the move, as Shakib opted to bowl just six overs across the third day. When asked the reason for his choice after the win, Shakib was typically nonchalant in his reply at first, but later said he wanted to build a strong Test bowling attack.
"There's no real explanation. Someone isn't bound to bowl," he said. "If you have five or six weapons, you don't have to use them all the time. Does it mean that the other Bangladesh bowlers aren't good enough? I believe that we have good bowlers to take 20 wickets in a Test match.
"They have certainly showed it - especially on a good pitch, the type we don't really play on. Mirpur usually doesn't have such a good wicket for three or four days running."
Shakib said that one of the ways Bangladesh wants to play positive cricket is by having a robust bowling attack so that it not only gives the captain more options to bowl the opposition out, but also provides some balance to the side.
"You need more bowling options if you want to take 20 wickets; there's no other way," he said. "You will only want fewer bowlers when you have a defensive mentality, like when you want to draw the game or somehow bat well. If you want to win, you have to play with five or six bowlers.
"[Mehidy Hasan] Miraz is capable of batting at No. 7, which gives us more bowling options. It is good for our team. We can rotate the bowlers, and not put too much pressure on one bowler. Taijul [Islam] obviously bowled a lot in this game, and he bowled well, but we still have a lot more options now."
'Pressure was on Bangladesh' - Ireland captain Balbirnie
Andy Balbirnie, Ireland's captain, said they believed that a 180-run target for Bangladesh would have been tricky even as the pitch remained good enough for batting on the fourth day.
"The wicket was still pretty good," he said. "Ebadot [Hossain] bowled well in the morning. He attacked the stumps, but we were confident we could get a 180 lead. Our message was [that] all the pressure was on Bangladesh. If they had lost this game, there would have been a lot more people in this press room.
"Even if they were 100 for none chasing 130, the pressure was on them; no one expected Ireland to come here and win a Test match. We knew we needed early wickets, but the way Litton [Das] played took the momentum away. But we stuck at it, [and] created chances, but it just wasn't to be."
Balbirnie was full of praise for offspinner Andy McBrine and wicketkeeper-batter Lorcan Tucker for their performance in this game. McBrine followed a six-for with the ball in the first innings with a 72 with the bat in the second - thus becoming only the second overseas cricketer to take six wickets and score a half-century in a Test in Bangladesh - while Tucker hit 108 and became the second Irishman to score a Test hundred on debut.
"[McBrine is] a really high-quality performer, someone you always want in and around your team," Balbirnie said. "I thought his innings yesterday was top class, took the momentum that Lorcan had set up and went with it. He had a clear plan when he was batting, [and] he's very good for the ball.
"I thought first innings we were maybe off with the ball. I know we took ten wickets, but they went at a decent rate. So I can't really fault the bowlers. We hadn't bowled long periods in a while, and coming back for third spells and their efforts were really good, and all the bowlers wanted the ball in their hand."
Balbirnie said that Tucker's century was one of the best he had seen by an Irish batter. He also mentioned about Harry Tector's twin fifties as noteworthy performances, with the batter also being on Test debut.
"I am so thrilled for him. Over the last 18 months, he has come into his own," Balbirnie said. "That was arguably as good a hundred as I've seen in an Irish shirt. Kevy (Kevin O'Brien)'s first hundred [in Ireland's first Test] is up there, but yesterday he counter-punched. And it was an amazing effort having kept for 70-80 overs; his body wasn't used to that, and having not played a Test match.
"But there were a lot of special performances - Harry's two 50s in the game. The top order could have done better, but it's a good sign the middle order is going well going into next week [when Ireland play two Tests against Sri Lanka]."