So one can well imagine the emotions he went through while the Tigers stunned the invincible Australians.

"Honestly, I never thought they would beat the world's number one team (Australia) but I have always believed that the boys have the potential to do anything in the series," said a relieved Faruque, who returned home two days earlier after having a painful journey with the team.

The former national captain was at a loss of words while praising the masterly hundred by Mohammad Ashraful, the second Bangladeshi century maker in one-dayers after Mehrab Hossain had scored the maiden century against Zimbabwe in Dhaka six years back.

"Ashraful has been criticised for his continuous failures but I never lost my confidence in him because he was so focused on his game. It gave me a belief that it's a matter of time to see him in full flow. I have no words to praise this innings but it was not at all surprising for a player like Ashraful," he said.

Another former Bangladesh captain Minhajul Abedin Nannu was excited and praised high the Ashraful innings, branding the victory against Australia as a great achievement in the nation's cricket history.

"The young lad just proved why people calls him the best batsman in the country. It was also proved that Bangladesh need performance from him to achieve something and silence the critics," said the one of the finest batsmen of the country.

His Chittagong mate Akram Khan said that the victory at least buried criticisms about the Bangladesh cricket.

"They proved that Bangladesh are not an ugly member of the game. We should now focus on consistent performance rather than one or two sudden wins," said the former national skipper.

"I'm not surprised that Ashraful made a hundred because he has the ability to do that. Now we just need him to be consistent," he added.

Aminul Islam Bulbul, another former national captain currently residing in Australia enjoyed a unique perspective of the game.

"Finally, I can stand tall and speak for Bangladeshi cricket here," he said when contacted by phone.

"Recently, after the losses to England, there have been scathing attacks against Bangladesh in the Australian press by former Test players such as Richie Benaud and Kim Hughes. But this game shows that when Bangladesh has their back against the wall, they can fight back and win the game," said the first Test captain of the country who scored a century on debut.

"So, it was thrilling as the sense of victory grew with every moment from the start of the match," he added.

Commenting on the game, Bulbul said, "I think we won because we played positive cricket and Ashraful and Bashar provided the backbone of the innings. We know that it isn't a fluke but Bangladesh definitely played better in this particular game."