(Credit PCB)
Despite Bangladesh’s record of 12 losses in 13 Tests against Pakistan, current captain Najmul Hossain Shanto remains undeterred. As the two-match Test series between Pakistan and Bangladesh approaches, starting on August 21 in Rawalpindi, Shanto has issued a strong warning to the Shan Masood-led team. He believes that this time, Bangladesh has the potential to achieve remarkable results in the series.
Addressing reporters on the eve of the first Test at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium,
Shanto said, “No pressure. It’s a record, and a record can be changed.”
“It’s not going to be easy, but as I said, we have a balanced side. We believe we can do some special things this time. Players are really excited to play here,” he added.
Shanto believes that despite his team’s poor performance against Sri Lanka at home earlier this year, the upcoming series presents a valuable opportunity. He is optimistic that his teammates will deliver strong performances.
“I feel we had a good series against New Zealand, but we didn’t play well against Sri Lanka. We have a good opportunity this time against Pakistan, and I hope we’ll play good cricket here,” he said.
“We don’t want to do anything different (as a batting unit), as we all know our batting hasn’t been well in the recent past. But we’ve had good preparation this time. Players tried to prepare as well as they could. Everyone has the belief that our batting unit will do well this time.”
“Besides, bowling is equally important to win a Test. I think we have a good chance as a team this time. In the last couple of years, we have a good pace bowling unit. We have three-four quality spinners as well. So we (have) covered everything,” he added.
Pakistan has revealed its playing XI for the series opener against Bangladesh, featuring a four-man pace attack led by Shaheen Shah Afridi. It will be intriguing to see Bangladesh’s lineup, as they are also grappling with injury concerns within their squad.
