Mackay, Aug 21 (IANS) History books will look to add another chapter of glory when Bangladesh take on Australia in the second Test of the series on Saturday as the Asian team can complete their first Test series win Down Under. However, amid talk of creating history, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto is focusing only on playing good Test cricket and not on the result.
Bangladesh need only a draw at the Great Barrier Reef Arena to secure their first-ever Test series victory against Australia, while another win would give them a stunning 2-0 sweep after their historic nine-wicket victory in the opening Test in Darwin.
However, Shanto does not want his players to get carried away by the possibility of creating history and has urged the team to concentrate on the process and take the game session by session.
“No, I don’t want to think that far ahead; I have been saying this from the beginning that we want to play good cricket,” Shanto said at the pre-match press conference on Friday.
“The important thing is how well we are playing each day, each session. So that will be the target. I think if we follow the process properly, we can play good cricket session by session. The result will come automatically,” he added.
Bangladesh’s historic win in Darwin gave them a huge boost, but Shanto believes the team must now put that result behind them and adapt to the new conditions in Mackay.
“Before we came here, we always talked about it being a very challenging series for us. We have to enjoy this opportunity and this challenge. After the first Test, there is a lot of emotion going on, but as professional cricketers, we have to come again and again to face new conditions and new challenges,” Shanto said.
The victory in Darwin has also strengthened Bangladesh’s belief that they can compete against top teams away from home. Shanto believes regular exposure to difficult conditions is essential if the team wants to continue progressing in international cricket.
“Definitely, we should play. I think if we don’t play, we won’t improve ourselves, and we won’t be able to show what we are capable of in world cricket because we won this last match, we have been able to send a positive message, and we believe that the team we have is capable of playing in any conditions,” he said.
–IANS
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