Change Has Driven Bangladeshs Success, Says Shanto

For a long time, Bangladesh’s biggest frustration in Test cricket was inconsistency. Strong starts often ended in collapses, batting failures or an inability to sustain pressure for long periods. But after the historic Test series win against Pakistan, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto believes this Bangladesh side has changed. According to him, the transformation in mindset and planning is now bringing success to the team.

Speaking after the match on Wednesday (May 20), Shanto credited the entire squad for the achievement. The Bangladesh captain said, “All the credit goes to the players. They have worked extremely hard. We tried to change a few things. If you want to build something in world cricket, you have to make changes. Hopefully, we will continue to play this way.”

Shanto’s comments reflected the gradual cultural shift within Bangladesh’s Test setup over the past few years. The team management has focused on improving fitness, mental toughness and the ability to stick to plans for long periods. Against a strong side like Pakistan, the cricket world witnessed the result of those changes.

The captain was also pleased with the team’s preparation. He considered the performance of the pacers on a flat wicket in hot conditions as one of the biggest positives of the series. Shanto said, “Our preparation was outstanding. It helped a lot in these kinds of conditions. Our pacers bowled brilliantly in the hot weather and on flat wickets. This is an area where we wanted to improve.”

Bangladesh’s pace attack was one of the major talking points throughout the series. The bowlers maintained discipline for long spells, created pressure on Pakistan’s batters, took wickets with the new ball and remained effective even with the old ball. Overall, the captain expressed satisfaction with the performance of the pace unit.

Shanto also sees signs of a changed mentality in the batting department. According to him, Bangladesh are no longer losing wickets in clusters as frequently as before. Instead, the batters are building important partnerships that are helping the team gain control of matches. The captain said, “Earlier, we used to lose wickets very quickly. But now we are building some really good partnerships. Even the tailenders are contributing with runs. These are the areas we wanted to improve.”

Bangladesh are now aiming to carry this momentum beyond home conditions and succeed overseas as well. Shanto believes the upcoming away tours will be a major test for the side. He said, “For me, the overseas series are even more important. In the last cycle, we played some good cricket away from home. But this time we have tougher tours ahead. It will be a new experience for us. If we can continue to play good cricket with both our pacers and spinners, then we will have a good chance of doing well overseas too.”

This series win against Pakistan, therefore, is not just a historic achievement, but also a reflection of Bangladesh’s growing confidence in Test cricket.