Sylhet, Bangladesh – as Bangladesh prepares for its first Test of 2025 and navigates a transition period, Zimbabwe is set to embark on a rare series in the subcontinent. The first Test, commencing Sunday in Sylhet, marks a important restart for both squads.

Bangladesh: A Fresh Start Under Shanto

Bangladesh concluded its 2023-2025 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle with four victories, highlighted by a dramatic win against the West Indies in Kingston in December 2024. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto aims to leverage this momentum.

Shanto emphasized the team’s commitment to a winning mentality: As a captain, I think that we need to play every match to win. We don’t have that intention to play selfish cricket. He also expressed a desire for a cultural shift within the team: As I said, we would start something new and that would start from tomorrow. I also hope that the management will also help us in this regard to. I think our test cricket has become stagnant for the last 20-22 years. So, we need to change something. We are thinking about that. I hope this will work in our favour.

Shanto’s domestic form offers some encouragement, with recent half-centuries in the Dhaka Premier League. However, his Test form, along with the top order’s struggles, remains a concern. Bangladesh’s openers have not recorded a Test century in two-and-a-half years.

addressing the top-order challenges, Shanto stated, Obviously everyone needs to be consistent. if I’m talking about myself, in the last year, in many innings I got out after getting set like scoring 30-40 runs. This is not acceptable in this format, because I was getting out after going through the tough periods. I have worked on that. I will try more. He added,of course,the top order isn’t performing. But they are trying. And I think with the resources we have got, we have to give them enough chances to be ready. As you said, we don’t face that challenge in domestic cricket. So, if we give them opportunities in international cricket, they will start to perform.

Adding to the pressure, Bangladesh has suffered defeats in their last five home Tests, including a loss to Sri Lanka in Sylhet last year. We didn’t play well at home last year, Shanto admitted. We couldn’t execute the plans we had.I think it will be important to bring the results at home. Getting the results away is difficult. As we were able to do that, I would hope that we would do better at home too.

Zimbabwe’s Packed Schedule and Fearless Approach

This year marks a pivotal moment for zimbabwe cricket, with a scheduled eleven Test matches – the most since 2001. This is more than the total number of Tests they have played in the past four years combined. Captain Craig Ervine is eager to see how his team adapts to diverse conditions.

Following the series in Bangladesh, Zimbabwe will travel to England to face them at Trent Bridge in May, before returning home to host South Africa and New Zealand later in the year.

Ervine emphasized the team’s mindset: We want to bring a no-fear attitude. The guys are not familiar with Bangladesh conditions, but long preparations give you the confidence to go out and express yourself. I understand we haven’t had a great run in Test cricket. I think this is the first year in which we have a lot of Test cricket lined up for us. He added, The type of opponents in the next few months is really exciting too.We don’t have a lot of experience in bangladesh, but I think the young group needs to play in different conditions to mature as cricketers.

Among Zimbabwe’s batsmen, only Ervine and Sean Williams possess Test experience in the subcontinent. Young talents like Ben Curran, Wessly Madhevere, and Brian Bennett are seeking guidance from their senior teammates.

Ervine noted, They are trying to find out the little key pointers to play in the subcontinent. Sean Williams has done very well in Bangladesh. They are picking those brains. [They are asking] what have you done, what works for you – preparation wise and mental wise. So that they can put that into practice. Our process started with the week preparation back home. When we got here, it is indeed a continuation of that, and slight adjustment to the conditions.