Bangladesh's performance on their first Test tour of Australia for 23 years will have a lasting impact on their cricket, those who follow the team closely believe. Though their historic win in Darwin was followed by crushing defeat in Mackay, there was enough evidence of improvement in the players' skills and mentality, especially in overseas conditions.
The Darwin win vaulted Bangladesh to No. 6 in the ICC Test rankings, heights they had never previously achieved. When he heard the news, their captain Najmul Hossain Shanto was quick to proclaim his intention to end the year with a win in South Africa. In the current World Test Championship cycle, Bangladesh have already defeated Pakistan 2-0 at home, and drawn 1-1 in Australia, which has put them fourth in the points table.
Athar Ali Khan, the former Bangladesh opener and TV commentator, backed Shanto's belief. "Why not?" Athar told Cricinfo. "If Bangladesh can go after a gap of 23 years to Australia and pull out a win, then [winning in South Africa] is very much possible. But then again, you can see why Shanto is saying or believing that because that's what he's thinking. That's what he has seen in the last four or five series where Bangladesh outplayed their opponents in their own den.
"I think what Shanto said is possible and realistic. But to be able to do that, I would like to point out that if we can bat well in those two Test matches, score 350-400 runs in each innings, then there's a high possibility of pushing South Africa on the back foot in their own den. Yeah, why not?"
Shaun Tait, who was Bangladesh's fast bowling coach until June when they beat Australia 2-1 in an ODI series at home, said Shanto's aim in South Africa was in keeping with his character. "Shanto is definitely a positive captain and has an aggressive nature as captain. He has big ambitions for this cricket team," Tait said. "I think a lot of the time he's fairly clear on what he wants. He is ambitious with Bangladesh and what they can do on the world stage."
Before the Test series in Australia, however, there was no strong belief around the team or among their fans that Bangladesh could pose a challenge to the hosts. They had played well at home, but fared poorly in Zimbabwe, before getting bowled out for 54 in a practice match in Darwin a week before the first Test.
'That bowling attack will stand up in any conditions'
Having spent a lot of time in Bangladesh over the last few years, Tait had an idea of what the team was capable of. "I was not surprised by the bowling effort," he said. "However, I thought the batting might struggle in Australia. I thought that would be the biggest challenge for Bangladesh. They did an extremely great job with the bat as well in the first Test.
"I didn't think they would win the first Test match, but I'm not surprised that they were very competitive. I thought they would be more competitive than the public thought. After being with them, I know they are good players and that bowling attack was always going to stand up. In fact, that bowling attack will stand up in any conditions."
The surge in Bangladesh's pace stocks over the last six years has given the team teeth in varied conditions. They won Tests in New Zealand, West Indies and Pakistan, and now Australia. As a travelling commentator, Athar has observed a change in the way they played on these tours.
"The phrase 'leaps and bounds' comes to mind regarding their improvement, belief, and achievements in those countries," Athar said. "It has been a dream come true for me and millions of fans across Bangladesh and the world who follow cricket and hope to see such performances on a consistent basis. They have shown huge improvement in their mindset, but there is still room for improvement."
'Shoriful's fit, he's strong, he's got a great action'
Tait worked with the Bangladesh team for a year, a period in which there was a boom of wickets both at home and overseas. He believes that the likes of Hasan Mahmud and Shoriful Islam have much more to offer.
"I think Hasan Mahmud can be successful for a long period of time. I think his body is going to have some injuries, but he has a durable, economical action. I hope the BCB continually lets him go to England and dip his toe in county cricket because he would be a good county bowler as well, and that will only help Bangladesh cricket as well."
Tait has a longer relationship with Shoriful; the two have kept in touch ever since they worked together in the BPL a few years ago. "I'm not surprised to see him do well. The work I do with him is so basic, and it's more about his confidence than anything. If he has a bad performance, sometimes he gets really down and feels like he's let the coaching staff and the team down. I was all about just saying, 'Don't worry about that. If you have a bad performance or a bad spell, you've got to work at getting over that really quickly and getting to the next spell and bowling well'.
"I think that would be the one thing I would say that we worked on: his mental approach to the game. He's fit, he's strong, he's got a great action - all that's covered. But his mental approach to the game was probably what I worked with him the most on. So, just keeping it simple, bowling fast, hitting the stumps, all that stuff with Shoriful. He's an absolute pleasure to work with."
'Want to see is consistency in batting'
Bangladesh's batters, however, have blown hot and cold over the years and that trend hasn't changed despite the belief within the team that they can beat any opposition in any conditions. They were so good in Darwin, where they scored 426 in the first innings, and so bad just a few days later in Mackay, where they were dismissed for 64 and 95.
"What we want to see is consistency, especially in batting," Athar said. "Bowlers are winning matches for Bangladesh; the seam and pace bowlers took 10 wickets in the first innings in Australia [Darwin] and did the same in Pakistan [Rawalpindi], showing they have bowled their hearts out. I would love to see that same consistency from the batters.
"I firmly believe that Bangladesh batters can improve. We have seen glimpses of brilliance. When the chips were down, we remember Litton Das got a very good hundred after being six down for 26 against Pakistan in Rawalpindi couple of years ago. We have also seen Tanzid Hasan getting a very good hundred in that first Test match against Australia."
Can Bangladesh hold on to the No 6 ranking?
Athar believes Bangladesh will enjoy more success in Test cricket if they bat in a more traditional style. "I feel that if a batter can play a minimum number of shots - meaning aggressive shots - and be more defensive, they can see the new ball off, get set, and get their eye in before playing. Shot selection is one of the key things.
"The batters get out chasing a wide delivery or playing an unnecessary shot at that stage of the game. So, be patient, play for time, and spend as long as possible in the middle, and the runs will come."
The missing piece of Bangladesh's Test puzzle remains batting consistency. If they can sort that out, then they could be in with a real chance of keeping - and even improving - that No. 6 ranking in Test cricket.