Dhaka, Oct 27 (AP) Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto wants his side to focus on the West Indies test cricket series which starts on Wednesday, rather than think about a potential World Test Championship final.
Fourth in the 2025-27 WTC standings, Bangladesh needs to win at least four of its remaining six matches and draw one to keep up hopes of reaching the final for the first time.
The team has already played six matches, winning three, losing two and drawing one. The three victories included a 2-0 sweep over Pakistan and a historic triumph in Australia.
After the series against West Indies, Bangladesh will play two tests in South Africa and two at home against England.
As I said always, if we can fulfil the small target, we’ll achieve the bigger target. So the immediate focus is onto the series against West Indies,” Shanto said. “We have to maintain the process, play as a unit like we did in the other series.”
Bangladesh lost a test against Zimbabwe and drew with Afghanistan, both games were not part of the WTC and were held in the UAE.
“We should have won the test against Afghanistan but we didn’t play good cricket in the last two days,” Shanto said.
Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons believes the ambition of reaching the WTC final will keep his players fully motivated.
“I think everyone is very focused on the test match,” he said. “I think there’s that goal and that desire to play in the World Test Championship final, and this is the first time we’ve had that opportunity to be there.
Bangladesh and West Indies have played 11 Test series, with Bangladesh winning twice in 2009 and 2018. West Indies has won eight times and one ended in a draw.
In 22 tests between the teams, Bangladesh has won five and lost 15.
West Indies won its most recent test series in Bangladesh, sweeping the two-match contest in 2021.
West Indies is eighth in the WTC standings and this series marks its final assignment in the cycle.
The team is yet to lose a test series this year and recently put up a strong fight in ODIs and T20s in India.
Head coach Darren Sammy believes those performances will inspire his players against Bangladesh.
“We obviously know Bangladesh has been playing some good cricket, but so have we been playing some good cricket this year,” Sammy said. “When we started the World Test Championship … we’re right where we wanted to be.
(PTI News)
