Bangladesh players return home after landmark series draw in Australia
The Bangladesh cricket team touched down in Dhaka late on Friday night, August 28, having drawn their two match Test series in Australia 1-1, closing out the country's first tour of the nation in 23 years.
The flight carrying the squad landed safely at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at around 10:30pm, with officials on hand to welcome the players home with flowers to mark the occasion.
Most of the cricketers, worn out from the long journey, left directly for their respective destinations in private cars rather than taking part in any formal reception at the airport.
Pace bowling coach Talha Jubair, however, stayed back to speak with waiting media.
"Of course, I'm feeling very good. I've come back to Bangladesh after a long time, so obviously it feels good to be back in my own country. But the fact that we have managed to return after doing well is a very big thing," Jubair said.
"Beating Australia in Australia is not a matter of joke, so everyone here is feeling very good. I hope that the experience we have gained and the belief that has grown in us, that we can beat any team in their own conditions, will be a very big thing for our team," he added.
Asked how much respect the team had earned from the tour, Jubair pointed instead to the belief within the squad itself.
"As for how much respect we have managed to return with, you can say that. But perhaps, I think, if you ask anyone from our team, before going on any tour, we always say these things. But there is a lot of belief within ourselves that we can do something good," he said.
Bangladesh made history in the series opener at Darwin, beating Australia by nine wickets for their first ever Test victory on Australian soil. Tanzid Hasan Tamim's century and Hasan Mahmud's six wicket haul were central to that triumph.
Beating Australia in Australia is not a matter of joke, so everyone here is feeling very good. I hope that the experience we have gained and the belief that has grown in us, that we can beat any team in their own conditions, will be a very big thing for our team.
Talha Jubair, Bangladesh pace bowling coach
The visitors could not carry that form into the second Test in Mackay, however, bowled out for just 64 in their first innings before eventually losing by an innings and 51 runs, with the match finishing inside two days.
There will be little time to rest once the squad regroups in Bangladesh, with a series against Afghanistan up next in October.