Image Credit- AFP
Bangladesh’s
captain, Najmul Hossain Shanto, has downplayed the country’s recent ODI form
slump, stating that they are gearing up to bounce back this week against Sri
Lanka. Bangladesh is trying to avoid suffering a third straight loss after
losing its last two home series to Afghanistan and New Zealand.
Though Shanto wants to maintain the same batting order as much as possible in
this series, he acknowledged that Shakib Al Hasan’s absence will affect how
they assemble their playing XI.
“We are
prepared for a turnaround as a team,” Shanto said a day before the start
of the three-match ODI series. “We did very well between 2015 and 2022,
but we had one bad year. That can happen. We always face challenges at this
level, so it is important that we start playing well.
“We didn’t change [our line-up] much in our last series in New Zealand.
Shakib bhai isn’t in the team, so there will be a bit more planning. He makes
life easy for all of us. We will keep his absence in mind when making the batting
order. We are hopeful of having a steady batting line-up.”
Bangladesh’s bowling
squad, especially the quicks, will be their main source of hope for victory in
Chattogram. In the port city, where the dew is frequently a factor even in
March—which is regarded as springtime in Bangladesh—it is typically batting-friendly.
“It is important to see how the bowlers adjust to the conditions and
wicket in Chattogram,” Shanto said. “It is definitely a challenge for
them. Everyone has to consider the conditions in which they are bowling. We are
not worried about how much a bowler is conceding individually. We want to see
the bowling unit functioning well as a group.”
Against Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh will also be hoping that Soumya Sarkar, who struck 169 in the second
One-Day International in New Zealand last year, performs well. Soumya scored
just four extra runs in the series, but he shattered Tamim Iqbal’s record of the
longest foreign innings by a Bangladeshi batsman in One-Day Internationals,
which stood for 14 years.
“[Soumya] played a full series in New Zealand after a long time. He played
a big innings in one of the matches. Everyone has to be consistent. There is room
for improvement, and Soumya knows about it,” Shanto said. “He is
working on it. His innings in New Zealand was indeed a big deal for our team,
especially in those conditions. I am hopeful that he will use his opportunity
well.”