Will Test last 3 days or 5: Bangladesh captain asked before Australia game

When the question about the duration of the game was put to Shanto, he dealt with it with a straight bat.

“We want to play till the fifth day, take it session by session,” he said. “There will always be discussion about whether we can take it to the fifth day. As players we want to take it to the fifth day.”

Pre-Series Media Conference: Najmul Hossain Shanto, Captain, Bangladesh

Australia 🆚 Bangladesh Test Series 2026

Darwin, Australia

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Dealing with the conditions will be key to how the tourists fare in Australia.

“The bounce is the key but we have been preparing on bouncy wickets at home in the last few months,” the skipper said. “That gives us a little bit more of an idea. Here, there will be bounce, and we are well prepared having arrived 10 or 12 days before the Test. We have had [poor outings] in practice matches before. This came in the preparation phase. We can have a bad day, but I think we have prepared ourselves pretty well. We are confident that we will play some good cricket. We have to try to bat for longer periods.”

When the same question was put to Shanto’s counterpart Pat Cummins, he put his diplomatic hat on, reminding that the venue was quite an unknown for the Aussies too.

“Who knows!” was his first reaction.

“I’m not sure. Maybe if you ask me a few weeks later, I’ll be fine. But they are a team against whom you have to be a little nervous to play in an ICC event; Because they have some big cricketers,”

The 32-year-old said every Test brought a new challenge.

“I don’t remember when I played an easy Test. I’m sure they’re strong. They have some players in the squad that we have never seen before; There are always some unknown fears before a Test match. But in the last few years they have had some big wins, there are some talented players in the team. We have to be ready,” Cummins said.

“We don’t play regularly here. I think it’s great to be able to play in Australia at this time of year. I want such opportunities to come more regularly. One of the beautiful things about Test cricket is that you play against different countries. Every time is a new challenge. Each team plays cricket in a slightly different style.”

When Bangladesh last played a Test in Australia, the home team was led by Steve Waugh. Their recent performances should give them some encouragement. They beat Pakistan in both home and away series while also winning a Test in New Zealand.