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Following Bangladesh’s 150-run victory on
Saturday—which handed them their first-ever Test victory against New Zealand at
home—interim Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto stated his team believed they
could defeat New Zealand. After finishing the previous series with a single
victory, the victory also helped them start the third edition of the ICC World
Test Championship on the right note.
“It is a good feeling. I am very happy to have
won my first Test as captain. Everything went to plan. We played a good
game,” Najmul said. “I was quite clear about my statement that we
could win this Test series. I didn’t say it as motivation. I meant that we can
win this game. Everyone had the same belief. I got the confidence to say this
when I heard it from the players, that we were all on the same page. I
considered our bowling attack and batting depth in these conditions before
saying it.
“I said that we have to win these two Tests. We
have to believe in it. We came here with this in mind. We didn’t think about
the outcome. As long as we are in the present, we are going to be okay. What we
need to do in that moment, we should understand that. I think the bowlers and
fielders got stuck into their responsibilities quite well.”
The Bangladeshi team received harsh criticism recently
for their disappointing performance at the 2023 World Cup. Although the victory
over New Zealand will provide some relief, Najmul is careful not to overreact.
Najmul became the first player from Bangladesh to
achieve a century in his first Test match as captain during this match.
Regarding his strategy, he stated that adapting to the circumstances and
playing positive cricket were the main priorities.
“It is important to understand that I was batting
for my team. They set attacking fields so I had boundary options. It is not
easy to defend for a long time on this wicket. When they had fielders in front
of me, I attacked them. When they had in-out field, I played defensive shots. I
shifted back to my normal gameplan to avoid risky shots. When they attacked
again, I went for the runs. Plans change according to the situation. They
attacked in the first innings so I batted according to my plan,” he said.
“I was quite clear about my approach. They set
close-in fields so I played low-risk shots. Some may have thought those are
high-risk shots. If I didn’t connect those shots, they would still go to the
boundary over the fielder’s head. It was my gameplan. It seemed like I batted
very responsibly in the second innings. I had similar plans. When they pushed
the fielders back, I didn’t think it was necessary to hit fours and sixes over
the fielders. I batted in a low-risk manner. A batter has to bat according to
the situation.