Just 9 wins out of 100 Tests, Smith reminds Bangladesh

Weeks before the first Test against Australia, Chandika Hathurusingha announced that Bangladesh would go for a clean sweep of the two-match series.

Shakib Al Hasan believes the Tigers are almost unbeatable in their backyard while their fans do not dismiss the chances of 2-0 outcome in Bangladesh’s favour.

The speculations have surprised Aussie skipper Steve Smith as he reminded the hosts that the number of their Test wins is yet to reach double digits.

In their last Test, Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka on their trip to the island and also beat England in their last game at home. These results have probably boosted their morale ahead of Australia’s visit to their backyard.

“Pretty confident, aren’t they? I think Bangladesh have won only nine out of their 100 games. So it’s very confident prediction. The comment surprised me a little bit,” Smith said in the pre-match press conference on Saturday.

Smith, however, has no qualms about the Tigers’ ability at home.

“But obviously they are confident about their skill set at the moment. They are at home. Most teams played pretty well in the home. Bangladesh have been playing well at home. So it’s gonna be a good challenge for us,” he said.

“I think it’s gonna be a great series. It’s a great challenge for my group of players to see what we have learned from India.

“Looking at the wicket, I think it’s gonna be somewhat similar what we got in India. Hopefully, we can learn from what we did there. And no doubt it's gonna be an exciting series.”

On a Test tour in Bangladesh after 11 years, Australia will surely do their best to hold Bangladesh out from making their win tally to 10 in this series.

The match is set for a 10am start local time on Sunday.