Bangladesh Captain Breaks Silence On Australia Threat Ahead of Historic Test Series

Najmul Hossain Shanto for Bangladesh [Source: AFP]

Australia is all set to host Bangladesh for a two-match Test series in August. While the first Test will take place on August 13, the second and last one of the tour will be hosted by the Kangaroos on August 22. As the Bengal Tigers prepare for the tour, Australia meanwhile, have already announced a solid 13-member core for the tour featuring some surprising inclusions.

While the names of the Australian players aren’t much surprising, their addition against Bangladesh baffles the Bengal Tigers skipper as well. With Travis Head, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood set to feature alongside other stars, Najmul Hossain Shanto shared his expression of disbelief at the selection of the team.

Shanto surprised at Australia’s squad against Bangladesh

The Bengal Tigers are usually ranked in the lower tier of the cricket-playing nations, with other international giants experimenting with them by fielding ‘A’ or ‘B’ team players. However, Australia announced a squad that had the likes of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Travis Head, and Marnus Labuschagne in it.

Even the last Ashes had a few of these players missing against England. In that case, the Tigers having to face these senior veterans in the upcoming Test series felt an ‘achievement’ for an overwhelmed Shanto.

"Normally, I have never seen anything like this before in Bangladesh cricket. When teams play against us, there are usually a lot of experiments. I would say this is an achievement for our team," Najmul Hossain Shanto told reporters during the Notun Kuri final ceremony at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

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With the star bowling trio of Hazlewood, Cummins and Starc, Scot Boland will also be available for selection in the Playing XI at their home ground. It already poses a very difficult challenge for the team, which has won only one Test match against Australia out of the six they have played.

Shanto ready to take up difficult challenge against Australia

However, Najmul Hossain Shanto was ready to head into the strong challenge ahead of the historic Test visit.

"Because they have brought such a team, it is a very big opportunity for us to see how well we can play cricket against them. I would say we have already managed to build a good position with this Test team. Because if you look at the opposition squad, it is clear that they have not taken this series lightly," Najmul Hossain Shanto said.

Notably, as per ESPNCricinfo data, in Test matches where these seven players have played for Australia (20 matches), they have won 14 of them, with two matches ending in a draw and losing only four of them.

Hence, it will be tough for the Bengal Tigers to handle Australia at their home ground, where the veterans have already left their mark. Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon will be returning to the Test side after a long injury layoff. However, that is probably more the cause of signing them against Shanto's men.

Why Australia have fielded its strongest squad against Bangladesh?

The World Test Championship Final is set to take place next year, and the Australia team is currently topping the WTC standings. With the team at the top and with probably sealing their spot for the Final at The Oval, it is understood that the management might be thinking of getting a few games in for every player so that they do not fall out of shape.

Hazlewood and Cummins have been out of Test whites for a long duration, and the Bangladesh setup would be a solid practice ground for the senior veterans. 

Players can be rested after playing one match while also giving the advantage of a home ground. Hence, experimentation with playing styles from the batting unit featuring Steve Smith, Labuschagne and Travis Head could be optimised subtly without taking a lot of damage on the WTC points table, even if they fail.

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