Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto believes his team’s inability to seize critical moments in the field prevented a victory during their one-off Test against Afghanistan in the UAE. The match ended in a draw on Tuesday, leaving the visiting side to reflect on the missed opportunities that allowed Afghanistan to hold firm at 346/8 in their second innings while chasing a target of 479. However, our quality spinners or pacers should have taken 10 wickets in this innings, and we missed a few opportunities in between.
The visitors appeared poised to win after finally breaking Sediqullah Atal’s long resistance. Atal had scored 111 off 332 balls to mark his maiden Test century before falling eleven overs into the final session; a faint edge off Taijul Islam deflected off his pad to Tanzid Hasan at short leg.
With Afghanistan struggling at 281-7 and approximately 23 overs remaining, the momentum seemed to be with Bangladesh. However, the fielding unit faltered during the closing stages. Yamin Ahmadzai managed to survive when an inside edge struck his stumps without dislodging the bails, and the side proceeded to miss two consecutive run-out opportunities. Qais Ahmed, who finished unbeaten on 49, also benefited from two spilled catches by Tanzid off Mehidy Hasan Miraz—one at silly point and another at deep mid-wicket.
Najmul expressed disappointment but refused to label the performance a failure. “I think we tried our best. We created a few opportunities, but we couldn’t capitalize on them,” he said, while praising the opponent’s resolve. “The opponent played brilliant cricket, so we have to give them credit as well, especially the way Sediqullah Atal batted.” But I wouldn’t say we played very bad cricket, of course it is a bit disappointing.
Reflecting on the technical aspects of the game, the captain noted that while the team made mistakes, the overall effort was respectable. He highlighted the difficulty of taking wickets on a pitch that remained favorable for batting throughout all five days. “Honestly, we didn’t think it would end in four days because the wicket was very good on the fourth or fifth day, even today,” Najmul added. He maintained that despite the quality of his bowlers, the failure to secure the final wickets ultimately led to the stalemate.
Looking ahead, Najmul suggested that the match provided valuable lessons for his squad, which rarely experiences the demands of a full five-day fixture. “We play five-day Tests very rarely, so our team has less experience of a match ending in the first session on Day 4 or Day 5,” he explained. He believes this extended physical and mental challenge in the UAE will serve as vital preparation for the upcoming West Indies series, offering his players a necessary test of endurance in conditions that rarely offer assistance to bowlers.
