Confident But Cautious: Bangladesh Captain Shanto Sets Measured Goals Ahead of Sri Lanka Tour

As the Bangladesh national cricket team departs for a full-fledged series against Sri Lanka, Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto addressed the media, expressing both confidence and caution. Speaking ahead of the tour, Shanto stated that the team is "confident and prepared," but admitted that limited preparation time meant there was room for improvement.

“Our preparation has been decent,” said Shanto. “But it could’ve been better. The postponement of the Pakistan tour reduced our available time. Still, we don’t want to make excuses—we’re satisfied with the effort we managed.”

One of the key challenges ahead, he noted, would be facing Sri Lanka's mystery pacer Matheesha Pathirana. “We haven’t had the chance to train against bowlers like him. He’s quite unique—we don’t have anyone like that in our domestic circuit. We'll have to understand his bowling through video analysis because practicing against such a bowler directly is extremely difficult.”

Bangladesh has historically struggled in Test cricket and remains near the bottom of the ICC World Test Championship standings. When asked whether his team dreams of reaching the WTC final one day, Shanto was pragmatic.

“That’s a big dream. It would be foolish to think that far ahead right now. We want to move step by step. We won four matches in the last cycle—this time our aim is to win two or three more,” he said.

Reflecting on past shortcomings, Shanto emphasized the importance of home advantage. “We lost points last time because we didn’t perform well at home. This time, we’ll have a clear plan for home matches.”

Shanto also stressed the importance of continuity in leadership. “It’s been a year and a half since I became captain. A long-term captaincy helps with planning. I have a good relationship with the board, and that support is allowing us to build better strategies.”

He also confirmed that he personally requested to step away from T20 cricket in order to focus more on his batting. Addressing the team composition, Shanto said the squad is well-balanced with both pace and spin options. While there are fewer openers, he clarified that each selection had a purpose.

“We’ve got four pacers and four spinners. Murad is mentally ready—if Taijul bhai is unavailable or if we need two left-arm spinners, he’s prepared.”

Ending on a hopeful note, the Bangladesh captain said, “I believe in my team, and I know they believe in themselves too. Sri Lanka is a strong side, but if we play to our potential, we can make a good start. Every match is vital in the Test Championship. It will be tough, but with collective effort, Insha’Allah, we can achieve good results.”