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Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto believes that his team can pull out some “special things” against Pakistan in the two-match Test series and change their dismal record against the opponents. Bangladesh have never defeated Pakistan in a Test match. In the 13 Tests against Pakistan, the visitors have drawn one and lost 12. In the World Test Championship standings, Bangladesh are currently in the eighth position.

“No (pressure). It’s a record, (and) record can be changed. It’s not going to be easy, but as I said we have a balanced side. We believe we can do some special things this time. Players are really excited to play here,” Cricbuzz quoted Najmul as saying on Tuesday.

“I feel we had a good series against New Zealand but we didn’t play well against Sri Lanka. We have a good opportunity this time against Pakistan and I hope we’ll play good cricket here,” he added.

Najmul feels that this time their batters will rise to the occasion and put up a show to remember after showing a poor run in recent times. “We don’t want to do anything different (as a batting unit) as we all know our batting hasn’t been well in the recent past. But we’ve had good preparation this time. Players tried to prepare well as much time as they got. Everyone has the belief that our batting unit will do well this time.

“Besides, bowling is equally important to win a Test. I think we have a good chance as a team this time. Last couple of years we have had a good pace bowling unit. We have three-four quality spinners as well. So we (have) covered everything,” he said.

The Bangladesh captain urged his team to move past the recent civil unrest in the country, which led to the government being overthrown following a student-led movement. The resulting turmoil disrupted Bangladesh’s preparations, forcing the team to travel to Pakistan earlier than planned.

“Everyone went through a tough time…really sad. Everyone struggled. No one really wishes for it,” said Najmul. “Also there is no way to live in the past, we have to move forward. But it was a tough time for everyone, every family. Hopefully, we will have better days ahead. And as players, we want to play our game with the right mind,” he said.

The skipper further said that he doesn’t believe Shakib Al Hasan’s performance will be affected by the downfall of the previous government, under which the all-rounder served as a lawmaker.

“No, I don’t think so (Shakib’s performance being affected due to the political unrest). He is a professional cricketer, and we all treat him as a cricketer. He has played this game for so long so he knows his role, he knows how to prepare himself. I’m not thinking about his political career. I hope he will do something special in this series,” he concluded.

The first Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh will be played at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

Bangladesh’s cricket captain on Tuesday was confident that ace allrounder Shakib Al Hasan will compete at his best in a Test against Pakistan this week, after protests over the former lawmaker’s inclusion. Shakib, 37, was a member of the now dissolved Bangladesh parliament led by ex-premier Sheikh Hasina, who was forced to flee the country at the start of the month following mass protests.The interim government last week gave permission for Shakib, who has not commented on the political crisis, to feature in the two Tests against Pakistan, the first of which starts Wednesday.

“He has played this game for so, long so he knows his role and how to prepare himself. I am not thinking about his political career,” Bangladesh skipper and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said at a press conference.

Asked if the political setback would affect Shakib’s performance, Shanto said: “I don’t think so because he is a professional cricketer, we all treat him as a cricketer, to be honest.”

“I hope he will do something special in this series,” he added.

Shakib is Bangladesh’s key allrounder with 4,505 runs in 67 Tests and as a spinner got 237 wickets — the most of any Bangladesh bowler in Test cricket.

Bangladeshis in Dhaka protested over Shakib’s continued inclusion in the team, with former Bangladesh Cricket Board member Rafiqul Islam criticising him for staying silent as protesters died in clashes with security forces.

Shakib joined the squad in Pakistan last week, after featuring in the Global T20 League in Canada, where Bangladeshis also chanted slogans against him.

The unrest in Dhaka stopped the team from assembling for practice sessions.

The tourists got some reprieve after the Pakistan Cricket Board invited them to arrive four days early to make up for their lack of preparations.

Still, Shanto hoped that Bangladesh could overturn a dismal Test record against Pakistan, having lost 12 of the last 13 Tests, with just one draw.

“We have a balanced side and I hope we play some good cricket,” said Shanto. “I think the record can be changed, it’s not easy but we believe that we can do some special things.”

The Rawalpindi Test is under threat from bad weather, with rain predicted on all five days.

The second Test will be played in the same stadium from August 30.

Bangladesh begin a two-Test series in Pakistan this week with their preparations severely hampered by the political turmoil that has wracked the country. Unrest that led to the overthrow of prime minister Sheikh Hasina kept the team’s foreign coaches indoors, strictly following advisories from their embassies, while mass protests stopped the team from assembling for practice sessions. The make-up of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is also up in the air, after president Nazmul Hassan fled the country due to his association with Hasina.

Cricket and politics go hand-in-hand in Bangladesh, but ace allrounder Shakib Al Hasan — a member of the now-dissolved parliament for Hasina’s party — is being allowed to feature in the Pakistan series by the interim government.

“Because of the situation it was not possible to practice,” spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed told reporters.

The tourists got some reprieve after the Pakistan Cricket Board invited them to arrive four days early to make up for their lack of preparations.

A second-string Bangladesh team — with six players included from the national team — had already been playing practice games in Islamabad since August 10.

To add to Bangladesh’s problems, in-form opener Mahmudul Hasan Joy has been ruled out of the first Test with a groin strain, but senior batter Mushfiqur Rahim is expected to recover in time from a finger injury.

No-win record

Bangladesh will be hoping hope to overturn their no-win record against Pakistan, having lost 12 of the 13 Tests, with just one draw.

The two-match Test series is part of the World Test Championship’s third cycle with Pakistan sixth in the current nine-team table and Bangladesh eighth.

The second Test — both matches moved to Rawalpindi because of construction work at Karachi stadium — will be played from August 30.

Following a 3-0 rout in Australia earlier this year, Pakistan brought in former Aussie paceman Jason Gillespie as Test coach, while Adelaide groundsman Damien Hough was hired to improve the standard of pitches.

Having released their only spinner, Abrar Ahmed, Pakistan will enter the Test with an all-pace attack — a ploy they last used five years ago against Sri Lanka at the same venue.

Bangladesh, however, will rely on spin with Shakib (237 wickets), Taijul Islam (195), and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (164) all included.

Pakistan captain Shan Masood refused to accept the Bangladesh team is under-prepared.

“You expect all international Test sides to come into a series well prepared and trying to play their best cricket,” he told AFP.

“Bangladesh is a side that has quality players in all departments and we highly respect the challenges they bring as a side to us.”

Masood also hopes Pakistan will show improvement under the new coach.

“We are excited to see how they (coaches) help us to be better people, better cricketers and — most importantly — be among the top teams in the world.”

Teams (from):

Pakistan: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Agha Salman, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi

Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Khaled Ahmed

Umpires: Richard Kettleborough (ENG) and Adrian Holdstock (RSA)

Tv umpire: Michael Gough (ENG)

Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to shift the second Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh from Karachi to Rawalpindi due to the ongoing construction work in Karachi National Stadium for next year’s ICC Champions Trophy. According to the initial schedule of the series, the first Test was scheduled in Rawalpindi on August 21, and the second Test was to be played in Karachi between August 30 and September 3. PCB had already barred the spectators from the second Test in Karachi due to the ongoing renovations in the National Stadium for next year’s Champions Trophy, which will be held in Pakistan.

However, the construction experts advised PCB that the construction could continue during the playing hours. As a result, players could get distracted and disturbed due to the noise and dust produced during the construction work.

“Due to the deployment of heavy construction equipment and the need to adhere to tight redevelopment schedules for the National Bank Stadium, which is being prepared for next year’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the Pakistan Cricket Board, in consultation with the Bangladesh Cricket Board, has decided to move the second ICC World Test Championship fixture to Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. We have been guided by the construction experts on the timelines for the readiness of the venue. They advised that while construction could continue during playing hours, the resulting noise pollution would disturb the cricketers,” PCB said in a statement on Sunday.

“Additionally, the dust from the construction work could also affect the health and well-being of the players, officials, broadcasters, and media. Given that construction must continue uninterrupted to ensure the venue is operationally ready for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the PCB, after consulting all stakeholders and reviewing operational and logistical matters, has decided to hold both Tests in Rawalpindi,” the statement added.

Karachi is also set to host the second Test between Pakistan and England from October 15 to 19. While speaking on the subject, PCB said, “At this stage, we will not like to speculate on the hosting of the second Test in Karachi from 15-19 October and will continue to work closely with the architects and construction experts on the safe and secure hosting of the match, while keeping the England and Wales Cricket Board updated.”

Pakistan squad: Shan Masood, Saud Shakeel, Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Bangladesh squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Kumer Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Syed Khaled Ahmed.

Officials in the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have claimed that board president Nazmul Hassan Papon has offered to quit his post, in a bid to co-operate with the Muhammad Yunus-led government to bring reforms. Nazmul is currently serving his fourth term as BCB President, and has been hiding in London ever since the unrest in the country began, which eventually led to the downfall of the Sheikh Hasina government.

According to a report in Cricbuzz, a couple of BCB directors currently staying in Dhaka met on August 14 to discuss their next course of action. Moreover, in the last few days, several former BCB officials and organisers have come to the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium to demand resignation of Nazmul and Co, whose term ends on October 2025.

“One of our directors is in touch with him and, according to him, Papon bhai is ready to cooperate (with the government) and is also prepared to quit from the president’s post to bring reform in the board,” a BCB director, who attended the meeting, was quoted as saying in the report.

Another BCB director, who was part of the meeting, said in the report that if the board is run by an elected body thereafter, they will need full cooperation of the interim government. “If the president resigns he can request to convene a board meeting for acceptance of his resignation and (for next) elections. He can do that,” added another veteran director, who is present in the current board.

Asked on what processes would happen if BCB President Hassan resigns, the veteran director said, “I can only talk to you about the constitution that is approved by the general council and apart from that I cannot say anything because I don’t know anything.

“If any board director or the president resigns they have to resign to the board. Because normally if anyone from the bank resigns it comes to the board, and the board accepts it or rejects it, According to our constitution, it is the same and if anyone resigns he has to resign to the board and the board has to convene and accept or reject that resignation letter.”

“If we accept a resignation there is a vacancy and the vacancy needs to be filled by an election. The president and the vice president election will take place among the 25 (board directors).The board that will accept the resignation can elect the next president and vice-president and that is the process.”

File image of Bangladesh playing Pakistan.© AFP