Shanto: Quality cricket on hot, slow Abu Dhabi pitch

Tigers have come a long way in Test cricket, from fighting for survival to dreaming of a place in the World Test Championship final. 
Ranking sixth in the ICC Test standings and fourth in the ongoing championship points table, above India, Najmul Hossain Shanto’s side now have bigger ambitions.
After whitewashing Pakistan at home and securing a memorable nine-wicket win over Australia in Darwin, expectations have risen further. Although Friday’s one-off Test against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi is not part of the World Test Championship, Bangladesh are treating it as an important test of their progress.
Afghanistan have no permanent home venue and use India and the UAE for home fixtures. Abu Dhabi will therefore host Bangladesh’s first Test at a neutral venue, making them the 12th team to play a Test away from home in such conditions.
Bangladesh’s Test record against Afghanistan is split. They suffered a 224-run defeat in a rain-hit Test in Chattogram in 2019, before responding with a record 546-run victory in Mirpur four years later.
Afghanistan will be without star leg-spinner Rashid Khan and retired all-rounder Mohammad Nabi. Apart from Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Yamin Ahmadzai, most of their players have only one to six Tests of experience, while some have yet to play the format. But the skipper Shanto believes the conditions will provide the biggest challenge.
“Australia is now in the past, so we have to plan afresh for the new conditions and a new opponent. The heat is a factor, but as professional athletes, we cannot use the weather as an excuse. The recovery process has gone very well and the players feel fit and ready after training,” he told Thursday.
Bangladesh have become accustomed to sporting pitches in recent years, but Abu Dhabi appears to offer something different. The 28-year-old expects a slow, batting-friendly surface.
“The wicket seems to be in good condition, but it could be a little slow. It looks favourable for batting, so we can expect a highly competitive Test match,” he said.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have rested pace bowlers Nahid Rana and Taskin Ahmed, with the match not part of the ICC Future Tours Programme.
Still, there is little room for complacency. Bangladesh’s innings-and-85-run defeat to Zimbabwe in Harare in June remains a recent reminder of the dangers in Test cricket.
Bangladesh are playing Afghanistan in a Test for the first time in nearly three years, and Shanto is eager to make the opportunity count.
“After a long gap, the team is excited to play a Test against them. Both teams are eager to compete and win. With good preparation, our squad is ready to play high-quality cricket,” he said.
Afghanistan coach Richard Pybus also sees the match as an important benchmark after Bangladesh’s successful Australia tour.
“Playing against Bangladesh, who have come off a successful tour of Australia, is a good opportunity for us to assess where we stand in Test cricket,” Pybus mentioned. The Afghan coach has also urged his players to focus on building individual innings and adapting to the demands of red-ball cricket.
“Building an innings individually is important. Test cricket is a great game because it is both simple and demanding. I am really excited about this period of playing three Test matches in a short space of time,” he said.