Bangladesh's first Australia Test in 23 years, Najmul offers reassuring news on Liton

An Australian journalist asked out of curiosity whether Liton Das would play. Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain replied with relief: “Yes, he is now 100 per cent fit.”

Although Liton joined the squad after recovering from injury, he did not feature in the warm-up match.

The wicketkeeper-batter suffered a muscle injury to his left leg during the third ODI against Australia in June. Najmul said Liton’s recovery ahead of the Test would give Bangladesh’s batting an added boost of confidence.

The first Test of the two-match series begins at Darwin’s Marrara Stadium at 6:30am Bangladesh time on Thursday. It will be Bangladesh’s first Test in Australia in 23 years.

The second Test will begin on August 22 at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay.

Najmul is well aware of the strength of the opposition. Australia have reached the World Test Championship final in two of the three cycles and recently defeated England 4-1 in the Ashes.

They currently sit at the top of the points table in the ongoing cycle, while Bangladesh are fourth with a points percentage of 58.33.

There are doubts in some quarters over how competitive Bangladesh can be. The team suffered an innings defeat to a Cricket Australia XI in their three-day warm-up match.

However, speaking at a press conference in Darwin, Najmul said, “As players, we want to play good cricket for five days. We want to take it session by session, as we always say.”

He is not particularly concerned about how long the match may last. “Every session is important. Whether it goes four days, five days or three days, there will always be discussions like that. But as players, our focus will always be on how well we can play cricket.”

Bangladesh last played a Test in Australia in 2003. They lost both matches in that series by an innings, with one of those defeats coming at Marrara. Much has changed in the Bangladesh team since then, and their recent Test performances have also been encouraging. Yet there is little doubt that a significant gap remains between the two sides.
The captain does not believe the team needs any extra motivation.

“There is no need to give anyone extra motivation. Everyone knows that a big score, taking five wickets and performing well as a team would be very beneficial for us and for the future of our team. That motivation is already there. From what I can see, everyone is very confident about doing well.”

Conditions could also pose a challenge. Australian pitches generally favour pace bowlers, while a drop-in pitch has been prepared at Marrara.

Najmul also outlined Bangladesh’s batting approach on such a surface: “I think there are always challenges with the new ball everywhere, and perhaps it will be a little more challenging here. Whoever bats, whenever we bat, everyone will have to play their natural game and look to score runs.”

He also stressed the importance of maintaining concentration for long periods. “It is very important to bat while maintaining concentration for a long time. They have a very good bowling attack. So, to handle this attack properly, we will have to bat with much greater focus and better thinking.”

Bangladesh will be without pacers Nahid Rana and Shoriful Islam on the tour due to injuries.

Ebadot Hossain, who had been in Italy on paternity leave, shortened his leave to join the team. In the spin department, Mehidy Hasan Miraz will be accompanied by Taijul Islam, who is now Bangladesh’s leading Test wicket-taker.