We want to play good cricket for all five days: Shanto

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto is keeping expectations in check despite the team's stunning nine-wicket win over Australia in Darwin, insisting that the focus should remain on playing good cricket throughout the five days of the Mackay Test.

The second and final Test of the series set to begin Saturday (August 20) at the Great Barrier Reef Arena, with Bangladesh carrying the confidence of their historic Darwin victory. Australia, meanwhile, are under pressure to avoid their first-ever Test series defeat to Bangladesh and will be determined to level the series.

But Shanto is refusing to look too far ahead.

"We want to play good cricket. We want to play good cricket for all five days of the Test. It is important how well we play each day and each session," he said after team's training session on Friday (August 21).

"If we follow the process properly, the result will come naturally. So rather than thinking about the result, we will try to play good cricket."

Shanto acknowledged that the Darwin victory had boosted the team's confidence but said professional cricketers must quickly move on from previous successes.

"Victory will certainly give you confidence. But for professional players, it is important to come back from that very quickly," he said.

Bangladesh had two full days of practice in Mackay, with Shanto satisfied with the team's preparation. The conditions are somewhat different from Darwin, with cooler weather and stronger winds.

"I think everyone got a fairly good idea during the two days of practice," he said, adding that the team had focused on adapting to the new conditions.

Shanto also provided a positive update on the team's minor injury concerns.

Mushfiqur Rahim, who suffered a finger injury during Thursday's practice, resumed batting and trained again on Friday, although for a shorter period.

Opener Tanzid Hasan, who scored a century in Darwin, had missed batting practice on Thursday because of neck stiffness. He underwent a scan on Friday before returning to the nets. His scan report was not immediately available.

Bangladesh also have Soumya Sarkar ready as a potential replacement after he spent an extended period batting in Friday's practice session.

Shanto said a final decision on Tanzid's availability would be made on Saturday morning.

"Today was positive regarding Tanzid. We want to see how he feels until tomorrow morning. Hopefully, he will be fine. We have all kinds of options, so I don't think there will be much of a problem," the captain said.

With Mushfiqur also recovering well, Shanto remained optimistic ahead of the series finale. "Mushfiq bhai is fine so far. Tanzid also batted today. Overall, I think we will be able to make a good decision tomorrow morning," he said.