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Rain cannot dampen a job well done

Series drawn 0-0

BISHWAJIT ROY
The threat of overnight rain and continuous drizzle in the morning could not stop the fans from turning up in their numbers at the ground as they were desperately looking for some action on the fifth and final day of the second and final Test at Mirpur. But the whole day's play was ruined by rain to ensure a draw in the second Test as well as the series; the first such result achieved by the Tigers against top-ranked and fullstrength opposition. The draw was the odds-on result after the fourth day's play but still the last day held the promise of much drama with the Tigers bouncing back in stirring fashion on Thursday.
But the sizeable crowd was denied the opportunity to even cheer for their beloved Tigers during the presentation ceremony, which was held indoors in the media room of the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium because of the persistent rain. Skipper Mushfiqur Rahim however was not at all an unhappy man while sharing the trophy with his New Zealand counterpart because his side showed a lot of maturity in the two-match series. It was not possible for the Tigers to create history by winning their first series against a top-ranked side because of the batting-friendly pitches, but it was a tremendous sign of improvement in the longer version as Mushfiqur's men played consistent cricket in both Tests. They had the upper hand in the first Test while in the second Test there was much to cheer about the way they applied themselves in the second innings after the reckless effort in the first essay.
Rain spoiled five sessions in the second Test but still it had enough life before the fifth day's play was called off soon after the tea break. The rain also caused Mominul Haque to miss an opportunity, by just three runs, to topple Habibul Bashar's record for aggregate runs in a series by a Bangladeshi batsman, though Bashar had made 379 in a three-match series against Pakistan.
Still, the nonchalant cricketer from Cox's Bazar was the real hero in the series with 376 runs and two hundreds in four innings as the left-hander gave some solidity to the Bangladesh top order. He might surrendered the man-of-the-match award in the first match to Shohag Gazi, who set a world record by hitting a hundred and taking six wickets with a hattrick, but the spotlight finally fell on the little man yesterday as he received both the player-of-the-match and player-of-the-series awards.
Mominul tends to speak as quietly as possible but without any doubt his bat spoke loudest in the series. The left-hander's impressive batting in his first Test series in Sri Lanka might not have gotten enough attention under the shadow of Mushfiqur's and the banned Mohammad Ashraful's heroics but he showed in this series how steadily and quickly he is progressing.
This series has also shown that Bangladesh's list of performers has grown beyond the usual dependence on Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal although both proved in the second Test how important their role is in the side.
Newcomer Marshall Ayub might not have contribute much as far as the scoreboard is concerned but he did display a willingness to bat long periods which might make him a long-term occupant of the number three position. The team think-tank, however, must look long at opener Anamul Haque before their next Test assignment at home against Sri Lanka in January next year.
With a job truly well done in the Test series, the focus will now shift to the three-match ODI series which will start on October 29 at Mirpur.