Najmul Hossain Shanto on facing Afghanistan in UAE [Source: AFP]Bangladesh is all in readiness to take on Afghanistan in a one-off Test in Abu Dhabi from Friday, October 9. This is only the third time the teams will face each other in Test cricket, with both sides winning one each in the previous meetings.This is also Bangladesh's first Test match in the United Arab Emirates, making the conditions a bit foreign to them. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, who is returning from illness, spoke about this ahead of the game and acknowledged the new challenges.Najmul Hossain Shanto addresses Bangladesh's biggest obstacle vs AfghanistanThe last two times Bangladesh collided with Afghanistan in Tests were in 2019 and 2023 — both home matches. Apart from that, Bangladesh also did not travel to the UAE for any Tests against Pakistan, when it served as Pakistan's home.Abu Dhabi is expected to be scorching hot over the next five days. The forecast shows the temperature to range between 39°C and 42 °C during the course of the match, which, in Najmul Hossain Shanto's opinion, could test the team."These are new conditions against a new opponent, and so we have to plan accordingly. The conditions here obviously are different, but some of the players came a bit earlier and played one practice match, so that will help to adjust," Najmul Hossain Shanto said in the pre-match presser.ALSO READBangladesh Predicted Playing XI vs Afghanistan- Only Test, 2026"I think the preparation has been good. The conditions are a little hot; that will be the case. But as professional players, we don't want to see it as an excuse at all. I think the players are not thinking too much about these things either," Najmul Hossain Shanto added.Bangladesh take positives from practice matchBangladesh played a two-day practice match against UAE on October 4 and 5. The match took place at the ICC Academy in Dubai, where Najmul Hossain Shanto was absent, as he continued his recovery from a recent illness.Under Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Bangladesh got bundled out for 234 in the first innings. Soumya Sarkar (57*) and Shadman Islam (46) fared well with the bat, before Iqbal Hossain Emon (4 wickets) and Taijul Islam (3 wickets) helped them bowl out UAE for 222 runs.Subsequently, Bangladesh finished the match with 114/3 on the board in the second innings. The match ended in a draw, but playing red-ball cricket for the first time in the UAE, Bangladesh showed resolve to play in the heat.ALSO READIndia vs West Indies Powerplay and Death Over Specialists- 2nd T20I, WI tour of IND 2026
