Tait backs Bangladesh bowlers despite Pakistan resistance in Sylhet

Bangladesh's pace bowling coach Shaun Tait said he was not losing sleep despite his in-form bowling attack failing to meet expectations on the fourth day of the second Test against Pakistan in Sylhet on Tuesday.

Given the form of Bangladesh's bowling unit, the hosts were expected to wrap up the series inside four days. But Pakistan fought back strongly to keep the contest alive. Bangladesh still hold the advantage, needing three wickets on the final day, while the visitors require another 121 runs.

"We have had some great times recently with our bowlers and I think what happens then is you expect it every day. And it doesn't always work that way," Tait told reporters after the day's play. "I think they bowled good enough to put us in a good position now. It was difficult, you know, and it was very hot."

"It was some good cricket played on both sides. They batted really well and the wicket was a pretty good one for batting and that's not an excuse," he added. "I guess our guys stayed in the fight, stayed in the contest. They got on top of us for a period of time but I think by taking those two wickets towards the end we go into the change rooms fairly happy with that."

Tait was particularly impressed with Litton Kumar Das behind the stumps, especially after the wicketkeeper pulled off a sharp catch down the leg side off Taijul Islam to dismiss the dangerous-looking Babar Azam.

"How tidy he is behind the stumps has been fantastic of late in general, especially over the last month. We've mentioned it in the change rooms after games actually," said Tait. "We've given him a bit of praise for the way he's been keeping because it makes a huge difference and there's no doubt about that."

Tait also lauded Taijul Islam's effort in testing conditions, describing the left-arm spinner's performance as a "warrior effort". "Taijul came up with a warrior effort today. In this heat, to bowl all day and to hang in at the end and also take the new ball, like you said, to take those wickets for us at the end there, it was fantastic," he said.

The former Australia pacer also enjoyed the intensity of the fourth day's play, particularly as Pakistan stitched together crucial partnerships through Shan Masood and Mohammad Rizwan. Rizwan was also involved in a few verbal exchanges with Litton Das, adding further spice.

"I enjoy it. I'm Australian – so yeah, that probably says a lot. I love it. There's got to be some argy-bargy. You don't want to cross the line, we all talk about that, but you have to have a bit of aggression," said Tait.

"It's Test cricket – Pakistan vs Bangladesh. For the fans, for all of us, you want to see passion in the game. Some guys in a contest trying to get each other out, trying to stay in the contest. I love it," he added.

Meanwhile, Pakistan batting coach Asad Shafiq remained optimistic about their chances of chasing down the remaining 121 runs despite having only three wickets in hand, with Rizwan still unbeaten at the crease.

"If you see today's batting performance of our batting unit, we are really hopeful. There are 120-odd runs left and the way Rizwan is batting, and the way Sajid played in the first innings, we are really hopeful," said Shafiq.

Shafiq, however, admitted Pakistan were paying the price for failing to convert promising starts into substantial scores. "In Test matches we expect from our batting unit that they will score hundreds and double hundreds. But unfortunately it is not being converted from fifty to a hundred. I am sure everyone is thinking and working on it.

"Rizwan is currently on 75 and God willing, if he converts this into a hundred, it will be good for the team. We have already discussed this and will discuss further how we can improve our conversion rate," he added.