- No pressure, but an inspiration – Shanto on Bangladesh’s chances at the WTC. Bangladesh is currently fourth in the World Test Championship rankings. The three that matter: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, all smiling after dismissing Pat Cummins. The three that count: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, all smiles after dismissing Pat Cummins, India v Australia, World Cup, Chennai, October 8, 2023 1 in the rankings and perhs even the fate of the WTC mace hangs in the balance Alex Carey and Steven Smith shake hands with Temba Bavuma after his 179th, South Africa v Australia, 2nd Test, Gqeberha, Day 3, October 20, 2026 With a series win in sight, Rickelton says South Africa want to secure their WTC title by beating the best and proving their credentials: Ryan Rickelton and Temba Bavuma Restart South Africa, South Africa vs Australia, 2nd Test, Gqeberha, Day 2, October 19, 2026 SA vs AUS Newlands Test – Cameron Green available, preferred no.
- 4 or 5, but leaves the final decision for Australia. Green has not played since suffering an abdominal injury in the last ODI against South Africa on September 30 and he will not be able to play in the final Test. Gqeberha, Day 4, October 21, 2026 Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant added to India A squad for the unofficial third Test against New Zealand A Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah in conversation over lunch, England v India, 3rd Test, Lord’s, London, Day 1, July 10, 2025 Sai Sudharsan half-centuries (91), Rathod (66) and Washington (51*) also helped India get back on their feet. Devdutt Padikkal scored his maiden century in only his third Test, Sri Lanka vs India, 1st Test, Galle, Day 1, 15 August 2026. Pakistan have already qualified for the final, but the result of this game will decide whether Sri Lanka joins them or England still has a chance. Pavan Rathnayake bowled in the chase, Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, ODI tri-series, Rawalpindi, October 18. 2026 Ayub expressed to coach Mike Hesson her “desire to return to domestic cricket to work on her batting form and regain her confidence”. Saim Ayub spoke about her half-century in 30 balls, Pakistan vs Australia, 3rd T20I, Lahore, February 1, 2026 Harmanpreet Kaur congratulates Dee Sharma on her fiftieth, India vs Zimbabwe, 2nd Women’s ODI, Vadodara, October 25, 2026 The franchise retention period ends on November 15, this will be the last one Be a mini-auction of the current IPL cycle. Jess Jonassen’s double wicket against dented Mumbai Indians, Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Citals, WPL 2025, Final, Mumbai, March 15, 2025. Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant have been added to India A Squad for unofficial third Test against New Zealand. Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah in conversation over lunch, England vs India, 3rd Test, Lord’s, London, Day 1, July 10. 2025 Najmul Hossain Shanto enjoys the moment, Australia v Bangladesh, 1st Test, Darwin, Day 4, August 16, 2026 Najmul Hossain Shanto enjoys the moment, Australia v Bangladesh, 1st Test, Darwin, Day 4, August 16, 2026 Bangladesh ctain Najmul Hossain Shanto said the prospect of remaining in the final of the World Test Championship was an inspiration for the future their home Test series against the West Indies.
- Bangladesh is currently in fourth place in the WTC standings and has little chance of finishing in the top two spots.
No pressure, but an inspiration – Shanto on Bangladesh’s chances at the WTC. Bangladesh is currently fourth in the World Test Championship rankings. The three that matter: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, all smiling after dismissing Pat Cummins. The three that count: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, all smiles after dismissing Pat Cummins, India v Australia, World Cup, Chennai, October 8, 2023 1 in the rankings and perhs even the fate of the WTC mace hangs in the balance Alex Carey and Steven Smith shake hands with Temba Bavuma after his 179th, South Africa v Australia, 2nd Test, Gqeberha, Day 3, October 20, 2026 With a series win in sight, Rickelton says South Africa want to secure their WTC title by beating the best and proving their credentials: Ryan Rickelton and Temba Bavuma Restart South Africa, South Africa vs Australia, 2nd Test, Gqeberha, Day 2, October 19, 2026 SA vs AUS Newlands Test – Cameron Green available, preferred no.
4 or 5, but leaves the final decision for Australia. Green has not played since suffering an abdominal injury in the last ODI against South Africa on September 30 and he will not be able to play in the final Test. Gqeberha, Day 4, October 21, 2026 Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant added to India A squad for the unofficial third Test against New Zealand A Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah in conversation over lunch, England v India, 3rd Test, Lord’s, London, Day 1, July 10, 2025 Sai Sudharsan half-centuries (91), Rathod (66) and Washington (51*) also helped India get back on their feet. Devdutt Padikkal scored his maiden century in only his third Test, Sri Lanka vs India, 1st Test, Galle, Day 1, 15 August 2026. Pakistan have already qualified for the final, but the result of this game will decide whether Sri Lanka joins them or England still has a chance. Pavan Rathnayake bowled in the chase, Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, ODI tri-series, Rawalpindi, October 18. 2026 Ayub expressed to coach Mike Hesson her “desire to return to domestic cricket to work on her batting form and regain her confidence”. Saim Ayub spoke about her half-century in 30 balls, Pakistan vs Australia, 3rd T20I, Lahore, February 1, 2026 Harmanpreet Kaur congratulates Dee Sharma on her fiftieth, India vs Zimbabwe, 2nd Women’s ODI, Vadodara, October 25, 2026 The franchise retention period ends on November 15, this will be the last one Be a mini-auction of the current IPL cycle. Jess Jonassen’s double wicket against dented Mumbai Indians, Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Citals, WPL 2025, Final, Mumbai, March 15, 2025. Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant have been added to India A Squad for unofficial third Test against New Zealand. Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah in conversation over lunch, England vs India, 3rd Test, Lord’s, London, Day 1, July 10. 2025 Najmul Hossain Shanto enjoys the moment, Australia v Bangladesh, 1st Test, Darwin, Day 4, August 16, 2026 Najmul Hossain Shanto enjoys the moment, Australia v Bangladesh, 1st Test, Darwin, Day 4, August 16, 2026 Bangladesh ctain Najmul Hossain Shanto said the prospect of remaining in the final of the World Test Championship was an inspiration for the future their home Test series against the West Indies. Bangladesh is currently in fourth place in the WTC standings and has little chance of finishing in the top two spots. They need to win their last four Tests at home to have a chance, but their performance in this cycle has surpassed that of the previous three editions and attracted huge interest from their fans.
“For me it’s not pressure, it’s inspiration (getting into the top four),” Shanto said. “I find it inspiring that scenarios like this crop up in Test cricket. I wouldn’t call it pressure because ever since we started preparing or started discussing this series, we have been focusing on how we played Test cricket in the last series and even in the last few years.
“We don’t want to do anything extra; we just want to stay true to our process.” I don’t ask anyone to make extraordinary efforts. While this is certainly a very important series, our goal is simply to follow our established process.
The same thing that got results for us. “Bangladesh begin this Test series after a dispointing trip to the United Arab Emirates where they lost both games of the ODI tri-series and drew against Afghanistan. Shanto said the fast-paced attack was beginning to understand their specific roles: Bangladesh had Ebadot Hossain and Hasan Mahmud for the Afghanistan Test, while Taskin Ahmed now returns after a break from the red-ball game. “The good thing about our fast-paced attack is that they know their individual roles.
You know who will play and when. They make it very clear who should be included in each condition. “It’s great that everyone in the team is ready to play every game throughout the series.
In terms of preparation, they remain in a strong position. It’s a big advantage to be able to choose one of them for a game at any time.” Bangladesh’s consistency remains a problem. They beat Pakistan 2-0 at home, followed by an embarrassing defeat in a one-off Test against Zimbabwe.
They then beat Australia in Darwin but lost their next game, followed by a draw against Afghanistan earlier in the month. “Of course, winning the Darwin Test boosted the confidence and belief of the players. That’s only to be expected.
But even before that, players showed a strong desire to improve in this format. They really want to play this format. This desire has only increased since the victory.
I also noticed that the players were more excited about the date of the next test match. “It’s also really heartwarming to see how excited people are for Test cricket. They look at it and talk about it.
This is a great source of inspiration for us. As I mentioned earlier, if we can improve by another 20-30% from where we are now, it will improve the position of our national team and, God willing, we will achieve something even better.
