A leader's toughest test

It was not a challenge Najmul Hossain Shanto expected when he arrived in Australia ahead of the series. But after Bangladesh's historic Test win over Australia in Darwin, managing the emotions of his teammates has become his first priority. The second Test in Mackay will pose the biggest challenge of his captaincy tenure — keeping a jubilant squad grounded as they chase the unimaginable: a series win on Australian soil.

Bangladesh's rise in Test cricket has been a talking point, and the numbers support it. The side have earned 10 wins in their last 45 Tests in foreign conditions, with six of those coming in the last 17. Since gaining Test status in 2000, Bangladesh waited until 2009 for their first away win, against an under-strength West Indies, having lost 28 of their first 30 Tests abroad and drawn the other two.

Lessons from Christchurch

The warning sign is fresh. Bangladesh's self-belief received a huge boost with a famous win over New Zealand at Mount Maunganui, only for them to be crushed by an innings in the second Test at Christchurch as they failed to follow the process that brought success. The collapse was largely an adrenaline rush — an inability to control the emotions that dictated their performance.

There is a thin line between confidence and over-confidence, and addressing it is what makes a leader rather than merely a captain. Najmul appears acutely aware of the emotional factor that could misguide his team in the middle.

"Before we came here, we always talked about how this is going to be a very challenging series for us. We have to enjoy these opportunities and this challenge," Najmul said. "After that first Test, there is a lot of emotion going on. As a professional cricketer, we have to come again and again when we are going to face new conditions and new challenges. So, the last couple of days, we had a very good preparation phase."

He added: "The players are very professional, and some of the experienced guys are there, so they talk about it [controlling emotions] with the young players. We are coming back again to do the right things over and over in practice. Those are the things we have been trying to do in the change room and in practice. The boys are ready to go again to do well for the team."

Moving on from Darwin

For Najmul, the historic win is already in the rear-view mirror. "It's a proud moment for all the players, even for ex-cricketers from Bangladesh. But it's done, I think. It's gone, and we need to play five days of good cricket. This is a very important Test match for us to do well again against this bowling and batting attack. We did a great job, but we need to focus on this Test match, and we have prepared ourselves very well over the last couple of days."

The captain said the side are ready to adapt their plans but remain comfortable playing the patient game. "We have different plans. We are not going to play every single Test match in the same way. We try to adjust to the conditions. We try to focus on how they are going to attack us and prepare for that. In the subcontinent, sometimes we play differently. So, it depends on the conditions, the surface, and the bowling attack. The last Test match, that was the plan, that we need to be very patient enough. As I said, they have been playing very good cricket for probably more than 50 years. So, we have to be very patient. As a Bangladesh Test team, we are not experienced enough, so we have to be patient."