Bangladesh Seeks to Break Winless Streak Against Pakistan in Crucial Test Series

Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto emphasizes resilience, urges team to focus on basics

Bangladesh is looking to defeat Pakistan for the first time in the upcoming test series /

By Moses Ochieng

Bangladesh has drawn one and lost 12 out of the 13 Tests they've played against Pakistan. They are now aiming for a change in their fortunes to improve their standing in the World Test Championship, where they currently rank eighth.

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto stated that his team's winless record in Test matches would not influence the upcoming series, which is set to start on Wednesday, August 21 in Rawalpindi.

 "No [pressure]. It's record, [and] record can be changed. It's not going to be easy, but as I said we have a balanced side. We believe we can do some special things this time. Players are really excited to play here. I feel we had a good series against New Zealand but we didn't play well against Sri Lanka. We have a good opportunity this time against Pakistan and I hope we'll play good cricket here," Najmul stated in media reports.

Najmul acknowledged his team's recent batting struggles but emphasized that they were not making any drastic changes, instead focusing on sticking to the fundamentals to bring about improvement.

 "We don't want to do anything different (as a batting unit) as we all know our batting hasn't been well in the recent past. But we've had good preparation this time. Players tried to prepare well as much time as they got. Everyone has the belief that our batting unit will do well this time. Besides, bowling is equally important to win a Test. I think we have a good chance as a team this time. Last couple of years we have a good pace bowling unit. We have three-four quality spinners as well. So, we [have] covered everything," he added.

 The Bangladesh captain encouraged his team to move past the recent civil unrest in the country, which led to the government's overthrow following a student movement. The subsequent turmoil disrupted Bangladesh's preparations, forcing the team to travel to Pakistan earlier than scheduled.

 "Everyone went through a tough time... really sad. Everyone struggled. No one really wishes for it. Also, there is no way to live in the past, we have to move forward. But it was a tough time for everyone, every family. Hopefully, we will have better days ahead. And as players, we want to play our game with the right mind," he concluded.