Shanto wants respect as Bangladesh eye Australia scalp

Bangladesh Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto believes his team can overcome their injury woes and cause a surprise during their upcoming two-match ICC World Test Championship series against Australia.

Bangladesh travel Down Under for a Test series for the first time in 23 years and the Asian side arrive full of confidence having beaten Pakistan at home earlier in the year to rise to fourth on the World Test Championship standings.

Their task of overcoming the Aussies will be difficult given the absence of key fast bowler Nahid Rana for the entire tour and the loss of experienced batter Litton Das and tall pacer Shoriful Islam for the opening match of the series in Darwin, but Shanto is expecting his side to perform well.

“Injuries can happen. Nahid Rana, Shoriful and Litton Das are obviously important players. Injuries are honestly beyond anyone’s control. Any player can get injured at any time," Shanto said prior to Bangladesh's departure for Australia.

"But those who are in the squad have also been playing for many years. This is a great opportunity for those who have got their chance to perform well. As captain, I can’t expect to always have my best players available. I have complete faith in whoever gets the opportunity.

“I have complete faith in the team that is going to Australia and believe we can play good cricket. There’s no point now thinking about which player would have made us better or who we’re missing. I think what matters is how well this team can play and how much belief we have in it. I certainly have that belief."

With Rana and Shoriful sidelined, Bangladesh's pace attack will consist of the likes of Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Khaled Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain, while spin duo Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam are also likely to play a major role.

“In Australian conditions, the expectation is naturally the same and that they can take 20 wickets," a confident Shanto declared.

"We also have two experienced spinners who will support the pace bowlers. Except for Musfik (uncapped quick Musfik Hasan), all the pacers in the squad are experienced and have been playing for many years. If they can bowl at their best, taking 20 wickets is definitely possible.

“Our spinners perform well in any conditions. Taijul bhai, Miraz or Nayeem. Whoever is there, I believe they can serve the team well."

And while many a touring party have been overawed by Australia away from home in the past, Shanto is confident his team will be no pushover across the two-game series and can earn respect from the 2023 World Test Championship winners.

“I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to play Test cricket in Australia against them," Shanto said.

"We should have played more matches there over the last 23 years. If we had played better cricket, perhaps we would have had more opportunities. 

"Our main goal is to play good cricket there and earn respect. If we can play competitive cricket, they’ll definitely invite us again in the future. We play every match to win, but what’s important is how much of a tough time we can give them.

“We’ll try to play the kind of Test cricket we’ve been playing over the last few years. The conditions will be different, so we have to adapt as quickly as possible. There’s no separate plan. The Test team is in a good place. From here, we don’t want to go backwards; instead, the goal is to keep improving."

Bangladesh squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Soumya Sarkar, Shadman Islam, Tanzid Hasan, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Amite Hasan, Jaker Ali Anik, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain Chowdhury, Musfik Hasan

Schedule:

First Test: August 13-17, Darwin
Second Test: August 22-26, Mackay