Bangladesh are determined to make a strong statement at home as they begin their ICC World Test Championship campaign against Pakistan in a two-match series starting Friday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
The Mirpur Test, scheduled to begin at 10am, offers Bangladesh a chance to reset after a mixed start to the current WTC cycle. The Tigers had earlier toured Sri Lanka, where they suffered a 1-0 series defeat, exposing familiar frailties with the bat.
Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto made it clear that first-innings batting will be central to Bangladesh’s hopes of success. In the previous WTC cycle, Bangladesh finished seventh, winning four of 12 matches. Although three of those victories came overseas — including a landmark 2-0 series sweep in Rawalpindi in 2024 that marked their first-ever Test wins over Pakistan — their home form was underwhelming, with just one win in six matches.
A recurring issue was the inability to post commanding first-innings totals. Bangladesh crossed 300 only once at home in the last cycle, a 310 against New Zealand that set up a 150-run victory. Shanto stressed the importance of building substantial totals this time around.
“If we can score 400 or somewhere close, that will put us in a very good position,” he said ahead of the match. “Not everyone needs to play attacking cricket. I don’t want anyone to change their natural game. What matters is putting runs on the board.”
He added that the tempo of scoring is less important than the end result. “It doesn’t matter whether 400 comes in 80 overs or 120. The key is to build a big first innings.”
Shanto also expressed confidence in Bangladesh’s pace attack, which has shown significant improvement in recent years and was instrumental in their overseas successes. However, he admitted that the batting unit has lacked consistency and must shoulder greater responsibility, regardless of conditions.
Pakistan captain Shan Masood acknowledged Bangladesh’s progress, particularly in fast bowling, but refrained from drawing comparisons between the two sides. He emphasised that Pakistan’s focus remains firmly on the immediate task.
“We are concentrating on this series and taking it one step at a time,” Masood said. “Every team dreams of reaching finals and winning trophies, but our priority is to respond well to the challenge of playing in Bangladesh.”
Pakistan come into the series after splitting their two previous WTC matches against South Africa. With both sides seeking momentum in the championship race, the Mirpur Test promises to set the tone for what could be a closely contested series.
