Hosts Bangladesh will be eager for a Test win but national team director Khaled Mahmud said the focus should be on playing well and that will bring out desired results at home when they take on visitors Sri Lanka in the first match of the two-Test series in Chittagong’s Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium starting this Sunday.
Bangladesh Test squad regrouped Sunday and had their first training session of a week-long camp ahead of the series in the port city Monday.
Bangladesh last won a Test at home 27 months ago – against Zimbabwe in February 2020.
Since then, Bangladesh have played four Tests at home – two each against the West Indies and Pakistan – and lost all of them.
“I do not want to speak of win or loss, we simply want to play good cricket. We are eager. We should focus on having the plans executed in the field. We will have to start well and prepare well. There is no issue with us when it comes to ability of the players,” said Mahmud to the media in the port city Monday.
Former Bangladesh captain turned BCB director Mahmud expects the players to make the best use of preparation from the week-long camp before taking on a full-strength Sri Lanka team in the Test series that is part of the World Test Championship.
“The mentality is very important. We will have to play well in all the sessions and throughout the day. We need to have good partnerships. I am hopeful of the team doing well,” said Mahmud.
The second and final Test will be played at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka from May 23.
Tourists Sri Lanka reached Dhaka Sunday and had their first practice session at SBNCS Monday.
The tourists are scheduled to play a two-day practice game against a Bangladesh Cricket Board XI Tuesday and Wednesday at Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishthan.