An Australian journalist initially asked out of curiosity, ‘Will Litton Das play?’ In response, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain sounded relieved, saying, “Yes, he is now 100 per cent fit.”
Although Litton joined the Bangladesh squad after recovering from injury, he did not play in the warm-up match. Najmul later said that Litton’s return to full fitness before the Test would give Bangladesh additional confidence in their batting.
However, Najmul is also aware that Bangladesh face a tough test in the Test match starting at 6:30 am tomorrow, Thursday.
Bangladesh will play a Test series in Australia for the first time in 23 years against Australia, who have reached the World Test Championship final in two of its three cycles. The two-match Test series will begin at Marrara Stadium.
Some remain doubtful about how well Bangladesh can compete. Bangladesh suffered an innings defeat against a Cricket Australia XI in the three-day warm-up match. It is therefore understandable that questions have arisen over their ability to compete in the Test.
However, speaking at a press conference in Darwin today, Wednesday, Bangladesh captain Najmul said, “As players, we want to play good cricket for five days. We want to play session by session, which is what we always say.”
Najmul is not particularly concerned about the matter. He said, "Every session is important. Whether it goes for four days, five days or three days, there will always be discussions like these. But as players, our goal will always be to see how well we can play our cricket."
Bangladesh last played a Test in Australia in 2003. They lost both matches in that series by an innings. However, the Bangladesh team has changed considerably since then. Their recent performances in Test cricket have also been encouraging.
Nevertheless, the gap with Australia remains significant. Ahead of the two-Test series, Najmul said they were focused on individual performances as well as performing well as a team.
In Najmul’s words, “No one needs any extra motivation. Everyone knows that a big score, taking five wickets and performing well as a team will be very beneficial for us and for the future of our team. That motivation is already working within everyone. From what I have seen, everyone is very confident about doing well.”
Australian conditions could also pose a challenge for Bangladesh. Pace bowlers generally enjoy an advantage on Australian pitches. A drop-in pitch has been installed at Marrara Stadium.
Najmul also offered some advice on batting on such a surface, “I think there is always a challenge with the new ball everywhere, and it may be slightly greater here. Whoever bats, whenever we bat here, everyone will play their natural game and look to score runs.”
“It is very important to maintain concentration while batting for a long period. They have a very good bowling attack. So, to handle this attack properly, we must bat with much greater concentration and with better thinking,” Najmul elaborated.