Ireland batter Harry Tector believes the wicket of Tamim Iqbal in the last ball of day one made the Test even for the time being with no team claiming absolute advantage.
After dismissing Ireland for just 214, Bangladesh looked to dominate the Test until Andy McBrine spun one viciously to take the wicket of Tamim in the last ball of the day, leaving the hosts at 34-2.
With their spinners getting considerable amount of turn and bounce, Ireland who are now ahead of 180 runs could take the stranglehold of the Test, said Tector who made team-high 50 on his debut.
"It was huge. It was unbelievable. I think it makes the day a bit more even. We are shy with the bat but getting two wickets tonight is huge. It gives a lot of momentum for us tomorrow. I think that dismissal in particular, the way the ball spun, it is a good sign for us on this wicket. It was amazing," Tector said.
"You need the lower-order to put on runs in these conditions. The big challenge here is to not lose wickets in clusters. I think we lost three for two. You can't really afford to do that. We built a nice partnership and then to go bang, bang, bang, it kills you. The guys certainly did very well. They batted nicely, nice and positive, played their shots," he said.
Bangladesh left-arm spinner Taijul Islam who claimed 5-58 to play an important role in bowling out Ireland for just 214, said they need one big partnership to claim the absolute stranglehold.
"I think we are not on back foot despite losing wicket in the last ball. It may happen," Taijul said.
"A big partnership is important if we want to set a big target for them in the first innings. We have batters capable of playing big innings. Hopefully we'll come back strongly," he added.
Tector said they would have to be alert as the wicket will spin more and more as the days progressed. He believes Bangladesh's three-pronged spin attack could be dangerous if the wicket assists spinners.
"The wicket will spin more and more. We have to deal with it. We have to face a lot of spin in the next three Tests. Taijul is a very good bowler. Mehidy and Shakib aren't much worse either," he said.
Tector is happy to hit a fifty on his debut, saying that it would give him a lot of confidence.
"It felt good for all of it until I got out. It was a poor decision in the shot I played, not so much a decent ball. I think if I defended that, it wouldn't have got me out. A lot of learning to do across the board. I put on a good partnership with Curtis Campher. We thought we could certainly put up a good total. We probably were a bit shy of where we wanted to be with the bat," he said.
"I wasn't as nervous as I thought I'd be. I was certainly more nervous when I was making my ODI and T20I debut. I have played a fair bit now so have the rough idea of what I am trying to do. I was more excited than nerves," he added.
Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha