Shanto Targets Another Match-Winning Performance Against Australia in Mackay

Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto is gearing up for another strong performance against Australia in Mackay. He thinks the victory in Darwin has boosted the morale of the team, and they are now confident of repeating their heroics again in the second Test match.

"Personally, I really wanted to face this kind of bowling attack because I always believe that if I can score against this kind of bowling attack, I'll be able to score against anyone," said Najmul Hossain Shanto.

"So this is an opportunity. This is a very big challenge as a batting unit. When you score against this kind of team, it gives you a lot of confidence going forward when we play in these kind of conditions or against this kind of bowling attack [again]. So those are the things I was thinking [about] before we came here, and it helps a lot." added Shanto.

Shanto played a key role for Bangladesh in Darwin, scoring 84 in the first innings and helping build two useful partnerships. With the pitch in Mackay expected to offer more bounce, Shanto said Bangladesh’s batters will need to handle the conditions well once again.

"In these conditions, there will be a little bit more extra bounce than [in] Darwin. Before we came here, we had been preparing on this kind of bouncy track," said Najmul Hossain Shanto.

"We had a series against Zimbabwe, where we got an almost similar [pitch], so we have the idea [of how to play on it]. In the last couple of days in the nets sessions, the batters have been doing their skill stuff. I think they will cope with this extra bounce." added Shanto.

When asked how Bangladesh is planning to control Australia in Mackay, Shanto said his team has plans for every condition and knows how to adapt as the game progresses each day.

"We have different plans [for different conditions]. We are not going to play every single Test match in the same way," said Najmul Hossain Shanto.

"We try to adjust to the conditions. We try to focus on how they're going to attack us, and prepare that way. We play differently in the subcontinent. Sometimes it depends on the conditions, the surface, and the bowling attack. So for the last Test match, the plan was that we need to be patient enough. We are not the most experienced side, so sometimes we just have to be patient." added Shanto.