During the gruelling series that included two Tests and six one-day internationals -- three each against hosts England and Australia -- there was hue and cry from different quarters on a number of occasions whether Bangladesh was good enough to compete at the highest level.

It grew louder after Habibul Bashar's men lost both the Tests at Lord's and then at Chester-le-Street inside three days.

But the 5-wicket triumph against world champions Australia at Cardiff's Sophia Gardens on June 18 not only stopped the critics on their path but also gave the Tigers much-needed self-belief. It also proved that they truly belonged to the elite family and a bright future lies ahead of them.

There was sadness at the start of an eventful eight weeks but when Bangladesh finished their last game against Australia at St Lawrence ground in Canterbury on June 30, they were all smiling.

The mere statistics, which read 2-0 whitewash in the Tests and a 1-5 score in ODIs, might suggest a predictable analogy but in reality there was lot of positives despite those defeats.

The biggest achievement for Bangladesh in England was Mohammad Ashraful's dazzling performance in the one-dayers.

"His 100 against Australia at Sophia Gardens was the turning point. It proved that we showed undue respect to the opponent bowlers in the two Tests. Had we not thought of those big names like Steve Harmison, Matthew Hoggard or Andrew Flintoff we would have been better off," observed skipper Habibul Bashar.

He admitted that the hype before the first Test and the reputation of Lord's coupled with the constant bickering from the English media put an enormous strain on his young side.

"But we have now learned to sustain the pressure."

Bashar's men certainly showed great character when they recovered from a hopeless 75-5 to post 250 against Australia in their last match.

There was a big question mark on the ability of our batsmen after the two Test series against Michael Vaughan's side. But it improved with every passing game except for that mindless collapse against England, where eight wickets fell for 26 runs.

Bangladesh put on big partnerships in almost every game and it was no surprise when Australian captain Ricky Ponting said: "I think they have played pretty well against us. Actually they have played better in a couple of games against us than England did. They have scored 250 in either games but we dominated in the other game. I think their batting in particular has improved. They have some young batsmen they looked pretty good at this level."

Ponting did not mention any names. But it was obvious he was referring to Ashraful, Aftab Ahmed and latest sensation Shahriar Nafees, who hit a superb 75 against Australia on June 30.

"If they can have some depth in the bowling I think they are going to be a very competitive side," remarked Ponting.

Bashar not only admitted that but almost made a public announcement.

"I want a bowler as good as Mashrafee-bin-Mortuza. I don't what to say Tapash Baisya, Nazmul Hossain or Shahadat Hossain are bad bowlers. But I need a firebrand like Mashrafee who is as good as any bowler in the world."

The Bangladesh skipper also said that he desperately needs a right-arm off-spinner before the next tour in Sri Lanka in September.

Former national captain Khaled Mahmud was one step forward.

"When I return to Dhaka my first task will be to find someone who is six foot tall and has got raw pace."

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has arranged quite a few youth development programmes and is spending a lot for those professionals scouting the budding talents.

But it seems they have lost a small battle against an individual who is selflessly contributing in cricket for over the year.

"I'm a student of Ankur like Ashraful and I can proudly say that Wahid sir is an honest and straight talking guy," said Shahriar Nafees about former national leg-spinner Wahidul Gani.

Many feel it does not necessarily mean the Board should include Wahid in its coaching set up. But it can award this devoted cricketer with something that inspires others to unearth those players the nation needs at the moment.