If everything goes according to plan, the Bangladesh Test team is set to depart for Sri Lanka tomorrow, Friday (June 13). The first Test of the two-match series is scheduled to begin on June 17 in Galle.
The team didn’t get much time to prepare for this tour. Bangladesh last played a T20 series against Pakistan, which concluded in Lahore on June 1. After returning home, the players went on a break for Eid-ul-Adha, leaving little room for practice. As a result, the Tigers are heading into the Sri Lanka Tests with minimal preparation. However, a few players Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Liton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Khaled Ahmed took part in a two-day warm-up match ahead of the tour.
Following that match on Thursday, Test captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto spoke to the media about the upcoming Sri Lanka series and Bangladesh’s ambitions in the World Test Championship. At the press conference held at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Shanto was asked whether Bangladesh could dream of winning the WTC title.
In response, Shanto emphasized the importance of setting realistic goals. “It’s a big dream. Sitting here and talking about winning the title now would be foolish. I think it’s better to focus on progressing step by step,” he said.
Reflecting on Bangladesh’s performance in the past WTC cycles, Shanto pointed out gradual improvement. “In the first cycle, we won just one match. In the next, we won four. That shows progress. In this cycle, the goal should be to win two or three more matches. If we continue improving in small steps, maybe one day Bangladesh will reach the final,” he added.
Shanto also admitted that Bangladesh struggled at home during the last WTC cycle (2023–25). “We played poorly at home in the last cycle. If we had managed to win a few more home games, things could have been different. We need to focus on winning at home now. We’ll prepare better for home matches. We’ve done well overseas, and that confidence will help us going forward.”
On their goals for the current cycle, Shanto expressed hope for finishing among the top four to six teams. “We finished seventh in the last WTC cycle. This time, our target is to end up somewhere between fourth and sixth. That would be great. Last cycle, our win rate was around 45 percent. If we can raise it to 50–55 or even 60 percent, I believe we’ll achieve good results,” he concluded with optimism.