12 October - Chennai - Bangladesh player Najmul Hossain Shanto pre-match press conference
[Reporter:]
Bangladesh got off to a good start against Afghanistan, but defending champions England subtly hinted that Bangladesh has to lot to work upon. So, my question is, how difficult will it be for Bangladesh to regroup after such a heavy loss?
[Najmul Hossain Shanto:]
I think in this tournament we started very well, but against England we didn't play well to be very honest. But we are not worried too much about that match so we are looking forward to this match and really hope that we can play some good cricket here.
[Reporter:]
Did you have a look at the wicket because the Chennai wicket it suits spinners and it's something very close to what you would find in Bangladesh. Do you feel it's a good chance for you to get a crucial win tomorrow?
[Najmul Hossain Shanto:]
Yeah, we saw in the India and Australia match there is some spin. So, if we get it like this - it helps our spinners. But we are not thinking about the wicket. I think we need to execute our plan and we have to be very clear with what we need to do.
[inaudible]
We just arrived for practice, so probably we can have some look after this.
[Reporter:]
How is the wicket like? Is it a 300-run wicket? First game, the runs was short on the board. This is a slightly new one. Will three hundred runs be made on the wicket?
[Najmul Hossain Shanto:]
I think if you look at all those matches in India, I think the wicket looks very good. Probably, I think if the wicket is fresh, I think we should look at 320 - something like that.
[Reporter:]
Hi, Shakib replaced Tamim at the last minute. Has he eased into the captaincy role?
[Najmul Hossain Shanto:]
Okay. So, I don't know about too much all those captaincy things but now we are here and I think the captain is ready to do all his stuff. So, that is gone, I think. We are just looking forward in this tournament.
[Reporter:]
We saw Shakib finish his quota of 10 overs pretty early in the innings against England. Do you see that trend actually going in terms of taking wickets in the middle, using your best spinners and that little bit of inexperienced bowlers taking the lead in the last 10? Do you see that as a pattern that Bangladesh actually started? Because it looked good when Shakib went for the attack. What's your take on that?
[Najmul Hossain Shanto:]
Yeah, I think he has bowled really well and we need early wickets because Malan and Bairstow batted really well. So, Shakib took a chance and all the spinners are quite experienced. I feel like Mehidy Hasan Miraz, he has played almost 70-80 matches. So, he's also experienced. So, Shakib took those chances and still he got, I think, one. If Miraz takes some, then it will be probably a different ball game.
[Reporter:]
You have three left-handed batters in your top order, which would be considered a favourable matchup against the left-arm spinner that is Mitchell Santner. So, in the build-up to the game, how much of the focus is on matchups or do you have a particular plan for Mitch Santner who is one of the leading wicket-takers so far?
[Najmul Hossain Shanto:]
Yeah, I think he's one of the best bowlers I think. We have a plan and as you mentioned the top three batsmen are left-handed. But we are not thinking about it too much. If we had a start, we can play some good cricket. What I feel is that we need to start well and I think one of the top four batsmen bats long. So, if top three batsmen bat long, then it helps our batting order.
[Reporter:]
350 runs are being made in most of the World Cup venues, and they are also being chased. So, in Bangladesh's batting, it's evident that you haven't been able to perform consistently for a long time or make and chase big scores. How much of this is a concern? In the last match, the bowlers may not have performed well, but there were many runs on the wicket. How responsible are the batsmen for the 137-run loss, and what are you doing to improve?
[Najmul Hossain Shanto:]
I think we certainly didn't bat well and should have done better. However, only two matches have been played so far. I believe both the bowlers and batsmen performed well in the first match. It's important to see how the batsmen will score in the upcoming games. We have a plan for that and will aim to bat accordingly.
Would you like me to proceed with the next section, or is there anything else you'd like to focus on?
[Reporter:]
There's talk that the Chennai wicket will be most favorable for you and help the Bangladeshi spinners. This is even being discussed in New Zealand's media. Considering the upcoming matches against India and South Africa and the form they are currently in, it's a big challenge for us. However, Bangladesh still has calculations for reaching the semi-finals. How important is it to win this match to make the path to the semi-finals easier for Bangladesh?
[Najmul Hossain Shanto:]
I believe that every match is crucial, and winning each one is important. I don't think we should focus on the semi-finals at this moment. We are taking it one match at a time, and if we perform well tomorrow, it'll bring us closer to our goal.
[Reporter:]
Mahedi took four wickets in the last match but conceded a lot of runs. Both Mahedi Hasan and Nasum Ahmed have performed well enough to deserve their spots on the team. What role do you see them playing in tomorrow's match? Considering they are both spinners, can we expect Bangladesh to play with one more spinner and one fewer pacer? You mentioned not having seen the wicket yet, but how do you view their role based on performances from the last Asia Cup until now?
[Najmul Hossain Shanto:]
They performed excellently in the Asia Cup. We haven't inspected the wicket yet, so the final decision on the number of spinners or pacers will be made by the captain or coach after we see the wicket.
[Reporter:]
What about their performance if they come into bowl towards the end?
[Najmul Hossain Shanto:]
I think everyone on the team is here because they've performed well and are highly capable. If you noticed, especially those who bowled in the lower middle order, their runs were instrumental in our win. So yes, they play an important role.
[Reporter:]
The beginning of the batting lineup is crucial. In both matches so far, Bangladesh's opening batsman have struggled. Do you think this will be a significant issue for you in this World Cup?
[Najmul Hossain Shanto:]
I don't think we should worry too much about the opening. Our top-order batsmen are well-prepared. A couple of good innings should instill confidence. Everyone is giving their best, and I'm optimistic that we'll see strong performances from the top order in the coming matches.
[Reporter:]
There must've been a discussion after the last match. Can you share some insights? Was it a tough conversation? And how about Tanzid's poor start? What's your message for him?
[Najmul Hossain Shanto:]
Tanzid has only played five or six matches, but I believe that every player needs time—some less, some more. We should continue supporting and believing in him because all players here are capable. As for the team discussion, it wasn't particularly tough. This is a long tournament, and we didn't expect to win all nine matches. We discussed how to rebound from our losses and that's what we plan to do.
[Reporter:]
Shanto, many teams added technical consultants, and people who know about the wickets here to play well in the World Cup. Bangladesh has done the same. Afghanistan, and even the team we are going to play against tomorrow, New Zealand, also have a technical consultant in their team. So, from Sridharan Sriram, how much help have we received about the wicket condition from this place? And how much are you impressed or satisfied by the inputs of Sridharan Sriram with the suggestions that are required for tomorrow's wicket?
[Najmul Hossain Shanto:]
Yes, he is helping a lot. I think the two matches that we played in Dharamshala, he gave us an idea before the match to each of the bowlers and batsmen. Before coming here we also discussed the wicket conditions here. I personally feel that we are getting a lot of help from him. I hope that he will help us in the upcoming matches.
[Reporter:]
You have become the vice-captain before this tournament, now you're a part of the leadership group. Obviously before the beginning of this tournament, you and the whole team had high expectations. In the first two matches, they could not do well. Taskin came later in bowling in the last match. He seemed a little frustrated. It seemed that he was a little disappointed listening to him. Since you're in the leadership group, what message have you given to them or what actually did you tell them?
[Najmul Hossain Shanto:]
First of all, no pace bowlers are frustrated. Everyone is fine. And the wicket here is such that they'll give a bit more runs. Because we normally didn't see that our pace bowlers were giving 60-70 runs in 10 overs. So, suddenly seeing that, we may think that bowling was getting worse. But it's not like that. So, everyone is concerned about the wicket here. How can we limit the runs, how to get wickets in the middle over and how can I bowl to get wickets in the new ball? So, everyone has a plan and they are working hard on it. And I believe that the pace bowlers are in whatever condition they are, if we improve 10% from here, we can go to a better position.
[Reporter:]
Shanto, recently, you are playing a big role in the batting department with your performance. As a batting team, as a unit, what is your message before the next match? What could be the strategy of the game since there's a little bit of concern in the top order early on?
[Najmul Hossain Shanto:]
I think that we are batting with a lot of courage. It is important to bat with an open mind and with a lot of freedom. I think the batsmen of each team who are scoring good runs, I think they are making runs very comfortably. So, it's important to bat with an open mind and with freedom. I think everyone has his own technique, everyone is skilful. So, if we bat with that freedom, it's possible to do well. Because we have that freedom from the coaching staff, captain and everyone.
[Reporter:]
Shanto, I'm not talking about the opening but, I mean, is the start a bit concerned? Like the way the wickets are falling at the start of the innings, again, what is required at the beginning of the opponent's innings is that you need to take wickets quickly, it didn't happen in the last two matches. Is the start a bit concerning?
[Najmul Hossain Shanto:]
Important. I think that, in the new ball, batting is definitely challenging. In any situation, it is definitely challenging. If the start is good, it's definitely good for the team. But, what's important to me is, if we lose 2-3 wickets early, how do we come back from there? So, we also have to keep in mind that if we lose 2-3 wickets, it doesn't mean we will be all-out with a very small score. So, how we can score big from there is also important. I think both. If the start is good, the team will have more chances to get in a good position.