While the Mackay Test ended inside two days, Shoriful Islam’s seven-wicket haul in the first innings attracted plenty of attention.

BCB is now more conscious of workload and injury management after both Nahid Rana and Shoriful Islam were injured before the two-match Test series in Australia

In an exclusive interview with The Daily Star’s Abdullah Al Mehdi, the former Australia pacer and ex-Bangladesh fast-bowling coach breaks down the Tigers' newfound pace mettle, their push for Test consistency, and more.

Although Bangladesh endured a disappointing performance in the Mackay Test, chief selector Habibul Bashar expressed overall satisfaction with their two-match series against Australia, describing the 1-1 draw as a “huge achievement” for Bangladesh cricket.

If Bangladesh's pace attack showed remarkable consistency, their batting showed the opposite.

Playing a Test in Australia for the first time, Shoriful Islam has already given himself a place in Bangladesh cricket’s record books. But the left-arm pacer’s seven-wicket haul in the second Test in Mackay has also put him in the company of one of the game’s greatest fast bowlers.

After winning the opening Test in Darwin by nine wickets, Bangladesh leave their first tour of Australia in 23 years with the two-match series tied 1-1.

Shoriful, returning after missing the first Test with a hamstring injury, kept the Tigers in the hunt after Mitchell Starc's 6-12 had threatened to turn the match into a one-sided contest.

A total of 18 wickets fell on the opening day in Mackay, the third-highest number of day-one wickets in a Test in Australia since 1975.

The 25-year-old said the conditions remained helpful to fast bowlers, with the wind also playing a role.

Shoriful said his maiden five-for was the result of work done in practice.

Bangladesh have five pace bowlers available for the Test, but Shanto said the final combination would only be decided after another inspection of the Mackay surface on Saturday morning.

Bangladesh left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam could follow in Hasan Mahmud’s footsteps and turn out for Kent, with the county club having expressed interest in signing him, sources confirmed on Tuesday.

The pacer will undergo further assessments after a week before entering the main phase of his recovery, with the rehabilitation period estimated at eight weeks from the date of injury.

Initial reports suggested Rana could need two to three weeks to recover, casting doubt over his availability for the first Test in Australia, beginning on August 13.

Having already conceded the series after losing the opening two matches, the visitors produced a clinical all-round display to finish the series on a positive note.

The game looked done and dusted, but Bangladesh pacer Shoriful Islam knows how to seize an opportunity.

Cooper Connolly struck a sensational maiden ODI century as Australia survived a dramatic late scare to edge Bangladesh by one wicket in the third and final ODI at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Sunday.

Bangladesh recently completed a narrow 2-1 series triumph over New Zealand at home and it was their quicks that did the damage across the three-game series.

At home or away, including the recent Pakistan series, the pace unit has delivered consistently.