Shanto says after beating Australia
Bangladesh’s best achievement in cricket history
Photo: BCB
Playing in the quarterfinals of the ODI World Cup, winning the Under 19 World Cup, or defeating New Zealand in a Test match in Mount Maunganui. These are among the few stars that have shone in Bangladesh’s cricketing sky. But the nine-wicket victory over Australia in Darwin will undoubtedly shine like a North Star forever.
It was Bangladesh’s third Test in Australia and only their second tour of the country. It came 23 years after their previous visit, and none of the players in the current squad had prior experience playing a Test in Australia. Their opponents fielded what was potentially their strongest team, with none of their top players missing due to injury or being rested.
Against such a team, Bangladesh dominated and secured an effortless nine wicket victory. Such a win is not only Bangladesh’s best victory in its 26-year Test cricket journey, but also the greatest achievement in the history of Bangladesh cricket.
Najmul Hossain Shanto therefore did not exaggerate at all when he said at the post-match awards ceremony as the winning team’s captain, “In any format, this is Bangladesh’s best and biggest win so far. We want to achieve something even more special in the future.”
In response to the presenter’s question, Shanto said, “We are extremely happy. I am truly proud of our performance and the performance of the boys. This is the result of hard work.”
Speaking about the change in mindset toward developing fast bowlers and reducing dependence on spin, he said, “This is the biggest change for Bangladesh in the Test format. Even five years ago, pacers were not interested in playing Test matches. But now we are regularly playing Test cricket, and the pacers are also giving this format a lot of importance. They want to play red ball cricket, perform well and develop themselves as world class bowlers. That is their current mindset. Senior cricketers like Mushfiq and Mominul are also constantly encouraging the young pacers to play more and more Test matches.”
Speaking about the batting of Tanzid Hasan Tamim, who was playing only his second Test, Shanto said, “He generally plays in an attacking manner in white ball cricket, but in this Test, he was extremely composed and played shots after judging the quality of the ball. As a top order batter, the team expects him to produce a performance that can make a difference, and that is exactly what he did today.”
Asked whether this was Bangladesh’s best achievement, Shanto said, “In any format, this is Bangladesh’s best and biggest win so far. We want to achieve something even more special in the future.”
Bangladesh are now certain not to lose the two Test series. If they avoid defeat in the next Test, they will also win the series. On this, Shanto said, “We have created a good opportunity and foundation for that, but for that we will have to play excellent cricket on the field. It is important to play consistently good cricket throughout all five days, and I will repeat the same thing: if we can move forward session by session and if the lower order batters can score runs and contribute to building the team total, only then will it be possible to achieve the desired result.”
