Shakib thanks England and Stokes

At the end of a series that was incredibly hard-fought, two of the most influential players on either side showed that it was played in good spirits.

One of the enduring images of the Test series that was drawn 1-1 with Bangladesh winning the second Test against England on Sunday, was Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan performing a stiff army-style salute after getting England counterpart bowled out late on the third day. That was the first wicket of a three-wicket over that virtually ended England's hopes, but at the time it seemed that Shakib signalled the salute as a goodbye to England because he felt that he had dispatched the visitors' last big hope. 

After the match, Ben Stokes -- who had gotten in trouble during the tour for on-field behaviour, including a 15 per cent match fee fine in the second Test -- showed that he was really a good sport by tweeting: 

England had in fact done cricket in Bangladesh a great favour by touring the country after the July 1 terror attack on a Gulshan cafe that targeted foreigners. Shakib was quick to express his appreciation for his defeated opponent:

He then thanked England on behalf of the cricket-mad nation, turning what was a gesture in the heat of the moment as a show of respect for the visitors.

The ever-competitive Stokes, however, will not forget how that contest ended.

Shakib had taken the wicket of Stokes on three occasions over the two Tests.