Twenty-three years ago, Bangladesh arrived in Australia for the first time, stepping into an unfamiliar world of Test cricket against a side packed with legends. The result was harsh, with both Tests ending in innings defeats, but the memories of that tour have endured.
Now, as Bangladesh prepare to return to Australia, Habibul Bashar Sumon, one of the players from that historic tour and now the team’s chief selector, finds himself looking back at a time when the Tigers were still learning to survive against the very best. Twenty-three years later, he hopes the current Bangladesh side can return home having earned the respect of the Australians.
Bashar, former Bangladesh captain, sees a striking similarity between the two tours. On both occasions, Australia have named a full-strength squad. In 2003, the hosts featured former captain Steve Waugh, destructive opening pair Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath.
This time, Australia have announced another star-studded 13-member squad, featuring the world’s leading Test pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, along with veteran spinner Nathan Lyon. Their batting line-up includes Travis Head, Steve Smith and Cameron Green.
The visitors know Australia will come hard at them. But Bashar believes Bangladesh should not approach the series with a defensive mindset. Asked what he wants Bangladesh to achieve from the tour, the former captain gave a straightforward answer, “Respect. We want to return home with respect.”
Having played in Bangladesh’s last away Test against Australia, Bashar believes an attacking approach could serve the visitors well.
“Personally, I feel that playing attacking cricket against Australia is a good approach. Their bowlers are also very attacking, and they don’t expect anyone to counter attack,” he said.
The chief selector wants Bangladesh’s batters to exploit that mindset, although he stressed that attacking cricket does not mean taking on every delivery. Bangladesh have named a batting-heavy squad, with aggressive options such as Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Soumya Sarkar, while captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim are expected to provide experience and stability against Australia’s formidable attack.
Bashar believes a positive mindset will be key. “If you bat with a positive mindset against the Australian team, you are more likely to be successful. I feel that if we can play with that kind of mindset, it could work better for our batters,” he added.
He also recalled the expectations surrounding Bangladesh’s previous tour of Australia. “When we toured Australia, there was a lot of talk. People were saying that the Test matches would be over in one or two days. But we played a four-day Test against that Australian team, at a time when most teams touring Australia would usually be finished within three days,” he said.
Bangladesh now face a major challenge to build on a strong home season across formats. Their preparations have been hit by injuries, with fast bowler Nahid Rana ruled out of the series after suffering a Grade 2 side strain that is expected to keep him out for eight weeks. Shoriful Islam is also set to miss the first Test, while Litton Das remains a doubt for the series opener.
With Darwin hosting a Test for the first time since 2004, predicting the nature of the pitch is difficult. A drop-in pitch has been installed at the venue for the series opener, while the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay is set to host its first international match.
However, based on his previous experience, Bashar believes the conditions in both venues could be more familiar to Bangladesh than the traditional Australian surfaces.
“When we played in Cairns or Darwin before, the conditions were somewhat similar to what we are used to. Darwin is relatively close to our conditions and doesn’t really have typical Australian conditions,” he concluded.
