Bangladesh are favourites against Afghanistan, says Taijul

Star spinner Taijul Islam on Friday said even though Afghanistan are doing well, Bangladesh have better chances to win the one-off Test in September.

The two sides will face off at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram. It will be the first time they will fight in the longest format of the game.

Bangladesh are getting ready to for the match. Taijul came to Sher-e-Bangla on Friday for practice and later spoke to the media. 

“We can’t say that Afghanistan are easy opponents. They’re not minnows anymore. So, we aren’t taking them lightly. They’ve a strong spin attack. Despite the fact, I think we should win the solitary Test against them as we’ll play on our home turf,” the left-arm spinner said.

Tigers had a chequered time in the last six months. They won their first multinational event in Ireland right before the World Cup but failed to live up to the expectation in the biggest cricketing event that followed.

Bangladesh’s lean performance continued as they lost a three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka after the World Cup. 

“It’s not possible to say that we’ll win every series. We shouldn’t be upset for losing one or two series. We’re preparing hard and are confident to turn things around,” he said.

Shakib Al Hasan, who has been out of action since World Cup, will lead the Tigers. 

“Things are tough without Shakib. He has experience and is number one all-rounder in the world. His presence makes our job easier. Shakib will join in the next series which is good news for Bangladesh,” Taijul added. 

Taijul is just one wicket away from his 100th wicket in Test. He is all set to be the fastest bowler to take 100 Test wickets for Bangladesh. 

“I always try to help my team to achieve a great result. I don’t focus on the stats so much. And I get into the field to hunt five or six wickets, I don’t play for one. But yes, it’s always satisfying to touch a milestone,” the southpaw said. 

The 27-year-old started his international career in 2014. Since then, he played 24 Tests and bagged 99 wickets with seven five-wicket hauls. He has played for the Tigers in six ODIs. 

“I want to play all three formats of the game like any other cricketer. But it’s not up to me. If the selectors think I’m able to perform in ODIs as well, they might consider me. What I can do is to perform well if I get selected for the other formats,” Taijul said.