Before the two-Test series against Sri Lanka begins in Galle on June 12, Bangladesh Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said he hopes the squad would perform well in the next World Test Championship cycle. Bangladesh fared better in the 2023–25 cycle, recording four wins, compared to finishing with just one victory in the 2021–23 cycle.
The fact that all four of Bangladesh’s wins occurred abroad gives the team confidence, Najmul said, adding that he believed the team would perform better at home.
“We did really badly in home Tests in the previous WTC cycle. We have to win more at home. We have to do more specific planning at home. Playing well overseas gives us more confidence. If we can combine the both, we can have a better WTC cycle,” Najmul told reporters on Thursday (June 12). “I think we have got some good cricketers. We did well in the last cycle, especially away. We have some good memories in Sri Lanka. We won our 100th Test match there.
“We have an opportunity to do something special in their conditions. Last time, we finished seventh (in the WTC). So now the aim is to be around 4th, 5th, or 6th. That would be really good. I think our win percentage last cycle was around 45. If we can push that to 50, 55, or even 60 percent, as a captain I’d consider that a strong result,” he said. “We are a more confident unit after winning four Tests in the last WTC cycle. We need that extra confidence against Sri Lanka who are a strong team. If we can play up to our capability, we can start well in this cycle,” he said.
The captain expressed his satisfaction at Ebadot Hossain’s comeback to the team following a two-year injury-forced absence. “I believe that Ebadot has been absent for a while. At the height of his abilities at the time, he sustained an injury. We fell into a hard time despite having other bowlers around. It pleases me to see him rejoining the team. It gives the squad another advantage. During the practice match, he bowled well. Najmul, who was pleased with the roster chosen for the series, stated, “He looks fit, so he has to stay fit to contribute to the team.”
“I am happy with the Test squad. I got the players that I wanted. Regarding the lack of opening options, you will get an idea what we are thinking once we start the first Test. You will understand the combination. We also have four fast bowlers and four spinners, so we have tried to balance the bowling attack too. We can go with different combinations.”
Najmul noted that their batting unit needs to assume greater responsibility, although he did not rule out the prospect of him opening the innings. “Any position can be my batting position. We have choices because we have other top-order batters. Even though [Mehidy Hasan] Miraz is our leading scorer and bats at No. 7 or 8, we won four games, which is disheartening because none of our main batters are scoring runs. To increase our chances of winning games, we need to increase the contributions from the top and middle order,” he stated.
“We have to do well in the first innings of the Test match. Everyone is working hard (on their batting), but we are not getting the results. They are working hard on coming back in form. More runs in the top-order will help us win more matches,” added Najmul.
