Bangladesh Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto believes Australia have shown respect to Bangladesh by naming a full strength squad for the upcoming Test series.
Shanto shared his thoughts while attending the final of Notun Kuri Sports 2026 as a guest. The government started the competition to give young athletes across Bangladesh a chance to showcase their talent.
Speaking about Australia’s squad, Shanto said Bangladesh have reached a stage where visiting teams no longer take them lightly.
“Normally, I have never seen this before in Bangladesh cricket. In the past, teams often came here and tried different experiments. I think this is an achievement for us as a team. Australia have brought such a strong squad and that gives us a big opportunity to see how well we can play against them,” Shanto said.
“I think we have already built a good position as a Test team. If you look at Australia’s squad, you can clearly understand that they are not taking this series lightly.”
Shanto also praised the Notun Kuri Sports initiative and said it could inspire children to dream even bigger.
“I think this is a very good initiative. It will create wonderful memories for the children. They already dream of playing at Mirpur, but now they will dream even bigger. This was a great opportunity for every child.”
The Bangladesh captain also highlighted Rajshahi’s long history of producing talented cricketers after a young batter from the division scored 74 off just 26 balls in the final.
“Rajshahi have worked hard for cricket for many years. Many cricketers have come from there and I believe many more will come in the future. The academies and facilities there are doing good work. If even better facilities are created and children get more opportunities, even bigger cricketers will come from Rajshahi.”
Shanto added that he hopes some of the children taking part in Notun Kuri Sports will one day represent Bangladesh.
“It will be wonderful if some of these boys grow into big cricketers. Whether they come from Rajshahi or any other part of the country, that will be good for Bangladesh cricket.”
When asked whether players like Nahid Rana, Litton Das and Shoriful Islam could have been rested during the Zimbabwe series because of injury concerns before facing Australia, Shanto said the decision rests with the team management.
“Those decisions are taken by the physios, trainers and the management group. They are handling those matters. I do not have anything more to add.”
