Najmul Hossain Shanto, in a talk, expressed confidence in the Bangladesh team that they will surely win the Champions Trophy in which they will open their campaign against India in Dubai on February 20, 2024.
“Our goal at the Champions Trophy is to win it. All eight teams participating deserve to be champions. They are all strong teams. I think we have that capacity,” Shanto quoted ESPNcricinfo as saying.
“There is absolutely no extra pressure on anyone. The desire to become champions is in everyone’s heart and belief in himself. What Allah Write for us, we don’t know. We are working hard and giving it our best. I think we can do this,” he added.
In the Champions Trophy, Bangladesh is in Group A along with India, New Zealand, and Pakistan.
In the second match, Bangladesh will take on New Zealand on February 24 while their last group match will be on February 27 against Pakistan.
Form-wise, Bangladesh is nowhere near to what it used to be not long ago. They claimed just two victories at the 2023 ODI World Cup hosted in India. Bangladesh have won just one bilateral ODI series since beating Sri Lanka 2-1 in March 2024. The Asian side’s last ODI series was played against the West Indies in December, where they lost 0-3.
Out of Bangladesh’s recent performances, Shanto will be more concerned about his form as well.
Shanto has recently come back from injury and has not played international cricket since November of last year. He missed the tour of West Indies due to a hamstring injury.
The next edition of the Champions Trophy will be held in Pakistan and the UAE, beginning February 19. Before this eight-team tournament, the Bangladesh team will meet Pakistan A in a warm-up match.
Bangladesh’s Squad For Champions Trophy:
Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, MD Mahmud Ullah, Jaker Ali Anik, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hossain Emon, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana
