Bangladesh went through turmoil from mid-July to the first week of August, with student protests leading to widespread arson and violence. Everything came to a standstill, everyone was confused about what was going to happen next and what not.

Cricket, just like everything else in the country, came to a standstill as well. Bangladesh national team, A team, U-19 camp all suffered due to the unrest.  Bangladesh national team’s training sessions for the Pakistan tour were postponed for consecutive days in the first week of August. There were uncertainties regarding the two-match Test series as well. But the dark clouds finally moved over. Bangladesh team travelled to Pakistan on 12 August, five days ahead of the schedule, thanks to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), had training sessions in Lahore.

Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain admitted on Tuesday that the players went through a tough time during the protest. But now that everything is over, the players are concentrating on their game with the right mind.

“Everyone went through a tough time (for what happened in the country). It was really sad. Everyone struggled,” Najmul said during the pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

“No one really wishes for it. Also, there is no way to live in the past, we have to move forward. But it was a tough time for everyone, every family. Hopefully, we will have better days ahead. And as players, we want to play our game with the right mind,” he added.

And their assignment begins today with the first of two-match Test series kicking off at Rawalpindi.

Shakib Al Hasan, whose dual role as a professional cricketer and a politician, has been under scrutiny following the recent political changes in Bangladesh.  a former Member of Parliament (MP) from the now-ousted ruling party, Shakib is facing uncertainty about his political future. However, Najmul dismissed any worries that these circumstances might divert Shakib's focus from his cricketing duties.

“I don't think it will affect him because he's a professional cricketer, and we all treat him as such," Shanto remarked.

“He has played this game for so long that he knows his role and how to prepare himself. We're not thinking about his political career, and I hope he'll do something special in this series.”

Najmul emphasised the importance of the Rawalpindi pitch, known for traditionally favoring fast bowlers. Despite Pakistan's announcement of a pace-heavy lineup, Shanto expressed confidence in Bangladesh's balanced squad, underscoring the strength of both their fast bowlers and spinners.

“Last couple of years we have had a good pace bowling unit. We have three-four quality spinners as well. So we covered everything. As you mentioned, seamers get a little bit of a benefit and the seamers are really excited to do well in this condition,” Najmul said.

Shanto also talked about the batting unit believing in themselves to do something good in the Pakistan tour. “We don’t want to do anything different. We all know our batting hasn’t been well in the recent past. But we’ve had good preparation this time. Players tried to prepare well as much time as they got. Everyone has the belief that our batting unit will do well this time,” Najmul said.

In the third cycle of the World Test Cricket (WTC) played among nine teams currently Pakistan is placed at the sixth position while Bangladesh is placed at the eighth position. The second Test will take place at the same venue from 30 August.