Bangladesh Cricket Team Set to Depart for Champions Trophy in Dubai, Captain Shanto Shares Team's Ambitions

The Bangladesh cricket team will depart for Dubai on Thursday night to compete in the Champions Trophy. Prior to their departure, the Tigers participated in an official photoshoot at the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium. After the photoshoot, Bangladesh's captain, Najmul Hossain Shanto, addressed the media, sharing the team's goals for the upcoming tournament.

In the group stage, Bangladesh will face India, Pakistan, and New Zealand. In terms of strength, Bangladesh is considered to be at a disadvantage compared to these teams. However, Shanto remains hopeful, as the team will be playing in their preferred format. He conveyed his optimism about the team's prospects, stating they are heading into the tournament with the aim of winning the Champions Trophy.

"I don’t think there is any extra pressure. All eight teams here deserve to be champions, they are all qualifying teams. I believe our team has the capability to win. I don’t think anyone feels extra pressure because everyone wants this, everyone believes in it, and everyone is confident in our ability. We don't know what fate has in store for us, but we are working hard and doing our job with sincerity. I believe every player is committed to our goal, and we can achieve that goal," said Shanto.

The Bangladesh team recently wrapped up the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), where they spent almost a month and a half playing in the T20 format. Now, the team is focusing on preparations for the ODI format. Shanto assured that there were no issues transitioning from T20s to ODIs.

"I don’t think the coach has pointed out any issues with the transition. There is always a difference between formats, but the way our batsmen performed in the BPL gives me confidence. The wickets were good in the tournament, and we hope to play on even better wickets in the Champions Trophy. The batsmen have prepared well. It’s important to know how to score from 50-60-70 runs to 100-130 runs. The bowlers also bowled well on these wickets. We still have six to seven days, and we will fine-tune our preparations further," Shanto added.