With no Shakib and Tamim, Bangladesh's mammoth win tastes even sweeter

A winning margin of 546 runs is something out of an old book of records. Three of the four 500-plus-run victories in Test history have come between 1911 and 1934. Bangladesh's win against Afghanistan in the one-off Test in Dhaka is the only entrant from the 21st century. Here's a look at the various strands that came together for them as they pulled this result together.

The road Bangladesh took to get to this result hasn't sat well with everyone. On ESPNcricinfo's ball-by-ball commentary, suggestions from fans included "they should declare with a 400 lead" and "why aren't they declaring yet?" Some even suggested that Bangladesh were disrespecting their opponents. Similar thoughts echoed across social media and were also discussed by the few who showed up at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. Even though head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe had made it clear before start of the third day's play that his side was going to bat the whole day.

It made sense for Bangladesh to bat out the third day. They wanted to have a healthy lead and give ample time (and rest) to their bowlers before they set about chasing the last ten Afghanistan wickets. Even though there was a 40-50% chance of rain, there was no threat of long wet spells, and the last two days were going to offer enough overs to go for the win.

Bangladesh also didn't think Afghanistan were pushovers. After all, the visitors had beaten them by 224 runs in Chattogram four years ago. Granted, Rashid Khan - who took took 11 wickets in that game - was missing this week in Dhaka, but so were Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal.

On the third evening, Mominul Haque had denied talk of any "revenge" for that Chattogram Test. He said international sport doesn't work that way. They were just looking to bat long, and give the bowlers a comfortable target to defend. Afghanistan were 45 for 2 in 11 overs on that third evening, chasing 662, and finished on 115 for 9 on the fourth morning, when Zahir Khan had to retire hurt with a blow to the elbow. Bangladesh had won the match with five sessions to spare.

Stand-in captain Litton Das said after the match that he felt pride seeing the margin of victory, on a challenging pitch, in unfavourable weather conditions.

"You don't get a win margin like this every day," he said. "Credit goes to the batters. The wicket wasn't easy, but [Bangladesh] batted really well. Bowlers did well too, maintained line and length. They had it slightly easy due to the help from the wicket. When you win a Test match, it is a big achievement. As a captain, you can't ask for a bigger win than this one.

"We believed a lot would depend on the first innings. We bowled them out for 146. The margin [of difference] started to show. It was still a difficult wicket. Our batters showed great character in the second innings. Credit must go to our batters and bowlers."

Litton said the Bangladesh top order has been showing character since last year, when Mahmudul Hasan Joy made impressive runs in New Zealand and South Africa. Zakir Hasan got a century on debut against India last year too. They scored a fifty each in this game.

"Zakir is playing his third Test but even on his debut, he didn't seem to be playing Tests for the first time," Litton said. "He missed out on a big one due to his run-out in the second innings. I liked the way he batted. He is quite mature.

"Joy is similarly mature. He showed great character in New Zealand. We want our young players to show character. They must be determined to do well for the country."

Bangladesh's scoring rate stood out in both innings - 382 and 425 scored at run rates of 4.44 and 5.31, respectively. They batted in similar fashion in the one-off Test against Ireland in April, scoring at 4.82 across the two innings. It is certainly a step up from their run rate of 3.27 in Tests from October 2016 till before that Ireland game.

Litton said that Test cricket's evolution has meant that batters now give more thought to taking advantage of hittable balls rather than leaving it just because it's a five-day game. "I think a batter should hit the ball that he thinks he can hit a four or a six. Why should he leave that ball? The opposition is always under pressure when there are runs on the board. Tests no longer go into the fifth day [much]. Everyone wants to score runs quickly, and if they have good bowlers, they declare the innings."

Bangladesh declared their second innings on 425 for 4. Their fast bowlers took eight wickets between them in the final innings, with Taskin Ahmed finishing with career-best figures of 4 for 37.

Ebadot Hossain had taken four wickets in the first innings, while Shoriful Islam picked up five wickets in the match, chipping in with top-order wickets. Their 14 wickets as a collective is now the most by a Bangladesh pace unit in a Test match. Litton said that it was exciting to see so many fielders in the slip cordon next to him as he collected balls regularly around his chest.

"I really enjoyed captaining the side, particularly when I saw the ball carrying to me, going to the slips. It was fun as a wicketkeeper," he said. "There was always a chance to get a wicket. We don't usually play three pacers in Mirpur because of the wicket's behaviour. But they had help from the wicket this time, so they did their job properly. I am very happy as a captain."

Litton said the Bangladesh batters now have a tough time themselves, facing their own fast bowlers in the nets. "Their pitch map tells the story. They are a lot more consistent in their lines and lengths. We bowled without cover and point in this game. We are aggressive even on flat wickets," Litton said.

"Their practice and work ethic have changed. We struggle to bat in the nets these days. Taskin, Ebadot, Khaled [Ahmed], Shoriful [Islam] and Musfik [Hasan], and the white-ball bowlers give us a lot more challenge in the nets. It makes our life easier in the matches."

As much as Afghanistan's missing spin superstar remained a talking point through the Test, Bangladesh also had huge gaps in terms of experience in their line-up. But this is not the first time they have produced a big result with their big names absent. Litton served a reminder that Bangladesh were also without their two senior-most cricketers when they famously won in Mount Maunganui.

"We won in New Zealand without Tamim bhai and Shakib bhai. That was a young team winning a Test in overseas conditions. It gave us the belief that hard work can bring success. Everyone in this team wants to play Test cricket. There is excitement in this lot.

"In a few years' time, we won't have some of these senior players. If you don't manage it now, suddenly it will become difficult when they are really gone. It would have been better had they played, but we have some capable newcomers."