Rahmat Shah, the new Afghanistan Test skipper, and his teammates earned a draw by battling for five days against an in-form Bangladesh side in the scorching Abu Dhabi heat, underlining their growth in the longer format.

Afghanistan batted for 142 overs in their second innings, including 92 on the fifth and final day, to force a remarkable draw. The historic rearguard effort was built around Sediqullah Atal's maiden Test century.

Bangladesh needed seven wickets on the final day and looked firm favourites to seal the game. However, Atal had other ideas. Following in the footsteps of his idol, Alastair Cook, the left-handed opener showed remarkable composure and determination to defy the odds. Atal scored 111 off 332 balls, striking nine fours and three sixes, to register his maiden Test century and anchor Afghanistan's fight for survival.

"This draw is equal to a win, actually," Rahmat said. "Great effort by our boys. If you look at it, we had planned beforehand. Whether it was in the bowling department or the batting department, we went according to that plan. If runs were needed, we scored runs, and if we needed to spend time, we spent time. That is why our result went towards a draw."

Rahmat credited Atal for making the necessary transition from T20 cricket to the longest format.

"Sediqullah came fresh from T20s, and the way he maintained his temperament here, fulfilling the team's requirements and executing it, that is why this result was achieved," he said.

Afghanistan batting coach Toby Radford told Cricbuzz that he was pleased with the contributions from across the batting order, including the lower order's efforts on the final day.

"As a team, I was delighted that two players scored centuries in the match and others contributed with half-centuries and vital partnerships. The tail batted well and sensibly today," he said. "The plan today was to bat for long periods and be patient. Not to be bothered if they bowled dot balls or maidens. To play in small periods of time that were manageable and would get us to our goal of batting all day.

"It was a great achievement to bat for over 140 overs (800 deliveries) and more than seven hours in our second innings. Patience and playing straight with discipline were key in the players achieving the draw from the match. An outstanding effort by all of them."