Bangladesh Aim to Stay Consistent for Five Days in Mackay Test Against Australia

Sports Mail24
Published: 12:20PM. 21 Aug 2026
Bangladesh Aim to Stay Consistent for Five Days in Mackay Test Against Australia

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto is confident after the historic victory in Darwin but has urged his team to quickly adapt to the new conditions in Mackay as they prepare for the second and final Test against Australia.

Bangladesh will take on the hosts at Mackay on Saturday (August 22), with the visitors holding a 1-0 lead in the two-match series after their nine-wicket victory in Darwin.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference on Friday, Shanto said the historic win would certainly boost the team's confidence, but professional players must quickly move on from past successes.

"Such a win will definitely give you confidence. But for professional players, it is very important to come back from that very quickly," Shanto said.

He added that the players had already adjusted well to the new conditions during the two days of training ahead of the second Test.

"I think the players have adjusted very well during these two days of practice. That (the Darwin Test) is in the past now. We have been preparing over the last two days to understand how we can play good cricket in these conditions and how we can adapt to them," he said.

"I think the players will move on from the previous Test and start this match afresh."

Following their win in Darwin, Bangladesh now have a golden opportunity to secure a historic Test series victory over Australia. However, Shanto does not want to put additional pressure on his team by focusing too far ahead.

"I don't want to think that far. From the beginning, I have been saying that we want to play good cricket. The same intention will remain—we want to play good cricket for five days," the Bangladesh captain said.

He stressed the importance of taking the game session by session rather than thinking about the final result.

"The important thing is how well we play each day and each session. That will be our target. I think if we follow the process properly and can play good cricket session by session, the result will come automatically," Shanto said.

"But instead of thinking about the result beforehand, I think that would make things more challenging and difficult for us."

Bangladesh will now look to maintain their discipline and momentum in Mackay as they seek to complete a memorable series triumph against Australia.

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