Jeans, jersey, jokes and a journey Down Under

Jeans and jersey.

Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto chose this unique combination for the pre-series press conference ahead of the all-important Australia tour.

He looked casual on a day when no practice was scheduled. So he came straight from home only for the press meet at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Thursday.

Casual was the mood of his 18-minute press conference too.

It seemed that, however big the tour of Australia is for Bangladesh, the captain wanted it to feel like a normal, pressure-free series - for himself and his players. And more importantly, for the cricket-loving people of Bangladesh.

So he did something you don't usually get to see.

He arrived in baggy jeans with a big smile, sat down in the press conference room and straightaway started talking before media manager Rabeed Imam could even begin his introduction.

"I have a question for everyone regarding the Australia series," Shanto said.

For a few seconds, the whole room went silent. Shanto himself broke that silence.

"You have all been covering cricket for many years. What are your expectations for this Australia series? How do you think our team will perform? There are many senior journalists here who have been writing for years. I'd like to hear from a couple of you, please," he asked.

A seasoned journalist replied with just two words: "Good cricket."

Shanto couldn't help himself. He smiled and stated, "Would you have liked it if I had given that answer?"

The whole room broke out in laughter and, after a while, things went back to the usual question-and-answer format.

But by putting the question back to the journalists, Shanto smartly lessened the pressure of expectation surrounding a historic tour, at least from the public's point of view.

In other words, he made it look like himself - casual. Shanto may believe this is the best-case scenario for Bangladesh when they take on Australia Down Under. Not talk loud on possible upset, but follow one step at a time.

But for every cricket team in the world, Australia is pretty much what the famous English opening batter and captain Sir Len Hutton described in his autobiography back in 1956. "The grounds are hard, the ball is hard, the men are hard: you need to be harder than they are to beat them."

Those words still ring true, and Australia's recent record at home proves that.

Still, hope and optimism keep the world moving forward. Shanto, before flying to Australia on Thursday night, sought refuge in those words despite being handicapped by a series of injuries.

The visitors will be without pace sensation Nahid Rana, left-arm seamer Shoriful Islam and wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das for the opening Test due to injuries.

Rana suffered a Grade 2 side strain during the Zimbabwe T20 International series, while Shoriful is recovering from a hamstring injury and Litton is yet to regain full fitness from a calf injury.

"Injuries can happen. Nahid Rana, Shoriful and Litton Das are obviously important players. But those who are in the squad have also been playing for many years. This is a great opportunity for those who have got their chance to perform well. As captain, I can't expect to always have my best players available. I have complete faith in whoever gets the opportunity," he said at the press conference.

With this tour, Bangladesh will play their first Test series in Australia in 23 years, with the team leaving on Friday ahead of a three-day warm-up match against a Cricket Australia XI.

The first Test begins in Darwin on 13 August before the second gets underway in Mackay on 22 August.

"I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to play Test cricket in Australia against them. We should have played more matches there over the last 23 years. If we had played better cricket, perhaps we would have had more opportunities," Shanto noted.

The Bangladesh skipper said that his side wants to earn Australia's respect by producing competitive cricket rather than becoming overly focused on the result.

"Our main goal is to play good cricket there and earn respect. If we can play competitive cricket, they'll definitely invite us again in the future. We play every match to win, but what's important is how much of a tough time we can give them," he explained.

Bangladesh, without Test experience in Australia for 23 years, are starting the tour several steps behind. The lack of data on playing in that part of Australia at this time of year is another challenge, as Darwin and Mackay are not regular Test venues. The whole concept of "Winter Tests" outside the traditional Australian summer, introduced by Cricket Australia, begins with this very series.

Shanto, looking only at the brighter side, is happy to be part of something new.

"We don't have a very clear idea yet, but we're trying to gather information. Our analyst has provided some details. Because of the rain, we couldn't prepare properly in Bangladesh. We did whatever we could, including practising against the bowling machine on granite surfaces," he said.

"It will remain a memory in Australian cricket history, and our names will also be there as the teams that played the first match. That's definitely something to feel good about," he added.

For now, though, the smiles, jeans and light-hearted exchanges are over.

From Friday, the journey begins.

Soon, Shanto and his team will discover whether the relaxed confidence they carried out of Mirpur can survive one of cricket's toughest examinations on Australian soil.