“I have full faith in the team bound for Australia,” Shanto said. “I believe we can play good cricket. I think there’s really no point in talking about what might have been. Injuries aren’t really avoidable in this day and age. I think we have the bowlers to take 20 wickets, especially in Australian conditions. We have two experienced spinners who can complement the fast bowlers. We have a capable pace attack. Everyone except Musfik [Hasan] is experienced. They have to give their best to take the 20 wickets.”
It will be Bangladesh’s first Test tour of Australia in 23 years, meaning several of their greatest cricketers, including Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan, have never played a Test there. Shanto said the current group was “lucky” to play in Australia, but he hopes they earn more Tests there in the future.
“I think we are very lucky to play Tests in Australia. We should have played more matches there in the last 23 years, although we haven’t done that well in the format,” he said. “So now that we are going to Australia, I hope that we play good cricket and earn the respect. I am hopeful our competitive nature will earn us another invitation there. It is important that we can play good cricket, try to win, and give them a hard time.”
Shanto also welcomed Australia’s decision to field a full-strength squad, including their frontline fast bowlers, seeing it as a sign of the “respect” Bangladesh have earned. “I personally liked the fact that they have chosen their full-strength team. They are not taking us lightly. I think our team has earned this respect. The more we improve our overall cricket, opponents will take us more seriously.
“I think it is a great opportunity for our batters to do well against such a bowling attack. I can see that the batters are quite excited to face the Australia attack. More important than making an early score prediction, I want to see whether we are enjoying and handling the challenge properly. We only get to see such a bowling attack on TV, so I am really excited to face them.”
“We want to adapt to the conditions quickly. Our Test team is in a good shape. Our main goal would be to take the team forward, not backward, from this point”
Najmul Hossain Shanto wants Bangladesh to build on the progress made over the last two years
“I think we end up talking a lot about our openers since they haven’t been very consistent,” Shanto said. “We have to understand that it is a tough position to bat. It is always challenging. They have to play in conditions with a lot of moisture; sometimes they have to bat the last five overs of the day. It is important to enjoy those situations. It is also key to find out how they are preparing themselves. I can see that they are trying hard. I believe that if we improve in this area, we can take a step further as a Test team.”
Bangladesh leave for Australia on Friday ahead of the two Tests in Darwin and Mackay with a practice match in Darwin scheduled before the opening Test. Shanto said the aim was to build on the progress the side has made in the format over the past two years. Bangladesh are currently fourth on the World Test Championship table, after their 2-0 win over Pakistan earlier this year.
“We will try to follow the way we have been playing Test cricket in the last few years,” Shanto said. “We want to adapt to the conditions quickly. Our Test team is in a good shape. Our main goal would be to take the team forward, not backward, from this point. We are always looking to improve our team.”
Mohammad Isam is Cricinfo’s Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84
