Bangladesh Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said that the fact that Bangladesh are focussing on tackling the bounce against Australian pacers ahead of the first Test in Darwin.

“We have been preparing on bouncy wickets at home in the last few months. That gives us a little bit more of an idea,” Shanto said on the eve of the ICC World Test Championship series against Australia. “Here there will be bounce, and we are well prepared having arrived 10 or 12 days before the Test. It gives us more idea regarding the bounce. They have a world-class bowling attack, but as a team, it is a good opportunity to challenge them.”

In the practice match against Cricket Australia XI, Bangladesh were out for 54 in the second innings and suffered an innings defeat too. Shanto, however, has full confidence in the team’s batting line-up.

“We have had (poor outings) in practice matches before. This came in the preparation phase. We can have a bad day, but I think we have prepared ourselves pretty well. Obviously, if you look at the last two or three years, we are going well in Test cricket. We have improved as a team. We finished seventh in the last [World Test Championship] cycle, but we are in fourth place [now],” he stated.

READ HERE: Shubman Gill Breaks Silence On ODI Futures Of Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli

“As a bowling unit, we have been doing a great job. If we just improve our batting a little bit more, it will be a great team going forward. If you look at the last two or three years, we are going well in Test cricket. We have improved as a team. We finished seventh in the last [WTC] cycle, but we are in fourth place [now],” he again shared.

He is also hopeful of taking the games deep into the final day, while giving a hint that adjusting to the conditions is important as well.

“The win against Australia in the ODI series in June gives us a lot of confidence. The preparation is there, so I hope we can adjust to these conditions. There’s grass on the wicket, but it’s a good wicket where both batters and bowlers will find help. Maybe the bowlers will (get us good results). We want to play till the fifth day, take it session by session. There will always be discussion about whether we can take it to the fifth day. As players, we want to take it to the fifth day,” Najmul Hossain Shanto added.

“Litton gives us batting depth,” Najmul Hossain Shanto concluded. “He is consistent. We are hopeful of our batting unit doing well in the Test match. The surface looks good, I think we (might stick with our) normal combination, like two spinners and three seamers. But looking at the conditions, tomorrow we’ll have a chance to see it again, and then we’ll decide tomorrow according to the conditions.”

Series schedule:

First Test: August 13-17, Darwin

Second Test: August 22-26, Mackay