Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto believes his side is ready to take its next step in Test cricket after completing a historic clean sweep against Pakistan. Speaking after the second and final Test at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, the skipper said Bangladesh now wants the ICC to schedule more opportunities against major Test nations—both in Bangladesh and overseas—highlighting India, Australia and England as key targets.
Bangladesh sealed a 78-run win on the final day to finish the series 2-0, marking a second consecutive Test whitewash over Pakistan. The achievement places Bangladesh alongside Australia as the only teams to have delivered back-to-back series wins of that kind.
Shanto’s plea for more Tests vs top teams
- Shanto said the team’s priority is to keep playing Tests and facing every opponent regularly, arguing that greater exposure is essential for building strength.
- He specifically called for more matches against Australia, England and India, describing home-and-away opportunities as a major part of Bangladesh’s growth plan.
- He added that when Bangladesh get chances to play more games and gain new experiences, the squad can gradually develop, while repeated exposure to the same opponents and similar conditions makes improvement harder.
- He expressed optimism that the ICC will provide additional Test fixtures across the board, while also stressing that tougher, higher-quality contests against the big teams would be even more beneficial.
The Bangladesh captain also reflected on how the team handled pressure during the decisive stages. While Pakistan batters Mohammad Rizwan and Sajid Khan threatened to upset the contest, Shanto said Bangladesh managed their emotions better than in earlier Tests, though he stressed there is still progress to be made.
“It’s hard to explain the feeling in the last hour because honestly they were batting well and we were under pressure,” Shanto told reporters. “But compared to previous Tests, controlling that emotion and not panicking has improved a bit. There is still a need for further improvement, though. I think the bigger teams may have done more work in this area, but we are seeing improvement and I’m happy as captain.”
Work ethic behind Bangladesh’s series win
- Shanto took pride in Bangladesh being able to play two 10-day Tests, noting that the format helped the entire group improve together.
- He credited the effort across departments—batters, bowlers who did not always get match time, and the coaching staff—saying everyone contributed toward producing the result again.
- He underlined that Bangladesh’s development needs to be gradual, adding that the team still has “a lot of room for improvement” as a Test side.
- He said the key is to keep performing consistently at home and abroad, and that once Bangladesh fine-tune the areas that still need work, the team will be stronger than before.
- He described the progress as steady over the last two or three years: improving, yet still requiring further refinement.
Looking ahead, Shanto said maintaining momentum will depend on how Bangladesh respond to tougher challenges. He pointed to future contests against South Africa and Australia as important tests, stressing that the focus must be on staying competitive—regardless of whether results go Bangladesh’s way.
He also singled out Litton Kumar Das’s century in the first innings as the turning point. In Shanto’s view, if that knock had not come, the game could have swung differently.
“The way Liton bhai batted with responsibility at that time made a big difference,” Shanto said. “Everyone in the dressing room believed that Taijul bhai would provide support, and Liton would keep going. Liton even sent me a message from the field once—he said he would play with the approach he had decided.”
Shanto concluded by highlighting the communication within the team and the impact of Litton’s innings. He said the decisive factor behind Bangladesh’s win was Litton’s batting during that crucial phase, adding that without it Bangladesh would have fallen behind significantly in the first innings.
