A spirited Bangladesh cricket team are determined to produce another superlative performance in the second and final Test match and clinch the series against visiting New Zealand.
The two teams will face each other in Mirpur Wednesday and the next few days in a crucial game of the new cycle of the World Test Championship.
An all-round team performance saw Bangladesh emerge victorious in the first clash in Sylhet where they defeated a strong New Zealand side.
This was their second win overall against the Kiwis in the longest format of the game after the historic victory in Mount Maunganui in 2022.
Now the Tigers are aiming to achieve the third triumph against the same opposition which will result in a memorable series win at their own backyard at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.
A draw will also be enough to give them a series victory against a major team for the first time, given that the West Indies and Zimbabwe are long past their prime.
The success in Sylhet was significant in a way that it came without key players like Shakib al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Ebadot Hossain, Taskin Ahmed and Liton Das.
Sylhet pitch was a sporting one and the second Test in Mirpur is likely to be played on a wicket where the spinners will play a big role.
Spin-heavy Bangladesh will be eyeing their fourth straight win at home this year, after victories against Ireland, Afghanistan and New Zealand in the first encounter.
"We played really good cricket in Sylhet. We competed well in all five days. We selected the combination according to our strengths and the conditions in Sylhet," said Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha.
"You sometimes can't read Mirpur until you play a couple of sessions. I don't think any venue is used so much in world cricket. We can't predict what's going to happen. We will try to not change much, at the moment."
Bangladesh have made a good start to their third campaign of the WTC after just one win in the last two cycles.
"The realistic goal (in this WTC cycle) would be to try to win all the matches at home. I think we can achieve that. I said at the start of this series that we aim to play well at home. Then try to compete outside,” said Hathurusingha.
"We have good fast bowlers who will help us compete in different conditions. Our young players are capable of playing in any conditions. We need to prepare. The board has done good things like using Duke balls, and playing on grassy pitches. It has helped to develop fast bowlers, and batters who can play fast bowling," he added.
Bangladesh have played 139 Tests thus far, winning on only 19 occasions, drawing 18 times and suffering 102 defeats.
Against the Black Caps, they have played 18 matches and won just two, to go with their 13 losses and three draws.
Barring the Windies and Zimbabwe, New Zealand are the only team against whom Bangladesh now have more than one Test victory.
Meanwhile, the New Zealand camp is planning to bounce back from the first Test defeat and aware of the spin threat Bangladesh could produce in the series-decider.
"When you come to this part of the world, you expect the spinners to play a big role. We saw that in the first Test match and we're expecting similar in the second Test,” said Kiwi skipper Tim Southee.
“We're expecting spin-friendly conditions obviously, but we spoke about it after the last game about being more consistent for longer as a bowling group. And then, obviously, partnerships as a batting unit. We've had a great couple of days of training. So, it's looking forward to getting into another Test match."
The match starts at 9:30am and will be telecast live on T Sports and Gazi TV.