Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto believes a regular exposure to tough overseas conditions will make his team a giant after a challenging Test against Australia, where batting proved difficult due to extra pace, bounce and swing.
Speaking after the match, Shanto praised Australia’s character and admitted Bangladesh could not produce their best performance in unfamiliar conditions that resulted in their innings and 51-run defeat in the second Test.
The two-match series ended in a 1-1 draw as Bangladesh won the first Test in Darwin by nine wickets.
“We know how good Australia are. They showed their character. We didn’t play our best in this Test match,” Shanto said after the second Test that ended inside two days as Bangladesh got bowled out twice below 100.
But despite the innings defeat, Bangladesh earned the respect they were yarning for.
The Bangladesh skipper noted that the conditions, additional bounce and movement in the air created difficulties for both teams’ batters.
“This was different conditions. A little extra bounce and swing in the air. It was challenging for us. But as a team, if we want to go forward, we need to address these conditions and I think this experience will help us moving forward,” he remarked.
Shanto pointed out that Australia’s batting line-up also struggled against Bangladesh pacer Shoriful Islam, which showed how difficult the pitch was.
“It was quite difficult for all the batters. Their batting line up also struggled against Shoriful. It was a difficult wicket to bat on, to be very honest,” he said.
The left-handed batter stressed the importance of consistency and believes more opportunities to play in similar conditions would accelerate Bangladesh’s development in Test cricket.
“We need to be consistent and I believe if we get more chances in similar conditions it will help us. And that’s what we want — not waiting 23 years to come here. If we get chances to come back more often, it will improve our game,” Shanto concluded.
