'We will make proper plans and execute them' - Najmul Hossain Shanto predicts Bangladesh's rise

Bangladesh National Cricket Team skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto is quite confident of the rise of his team in world cricket despite their poor performance in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Bangladesh faced an early exit from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 following their losses to India and New Zealand, and they finished at the No.3 spot in the Group A points table.

Also Read: Pakistan officially become worst host nation in Champions Trophy history after PAK vs BAN washout

Going forward we will make proper plans and will try to execute them - Najmul Hossain Shanto

Bangladesh's last match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 was against hosts Pakistan at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday, February 27.

However, the rain played spoilsport and didn't allow the play to happen. It was the second time in the history of the ICC Champions Trophy that the match involving Bangladesh was abandoned.

Speaking after the match, Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto said that they were disappointed not to get the opportunity to play against Pakistan. He said:

"Obviously very disappointing. We cannot control these things. We wanted to play today but rain is never in our control."

Najmul Hossain Shanto added that they showed great fight despite losing matches and would learn from mistakes. He elaborated:

"Yeah, I think if you look at the two matches we played. Although we lost both of them, the way we played, we showed some fight, and we managed to hold the match for a long period of time. We made a few mistakes which costed us and we will try to learn from our mistakes. Going forward we will make proper plans and will try to execute them."

Yes, very happy with the pacers - Najmul Hossain Shanto

Najmul Hossain Shanto expressed his delight over the performance of the Bangladesh pace-bowling unit in recent years and elaborated:

"Yes, very happy with the pacers. I think we have always struggled with our bowling but in the last 2 years, we have got some quality fast bowlers. They have always stepped up whenever required. Especially the likes of Nahid Rana, Taskin, Mustafizur, and now we have a quality spinner like Rishad Hossain, who is a wrist spinner. Players are doing well and I am sure they will improve going forward as well. They will do the best for the team."

Najmul Hossain Shanto signed off by saying that he is hopeful that the players understand the importance of practice and execute the plans in the match. He said:

"We need to work on rotating strikes in the nets. It is important to practice properly in the nets and then execute the same in the match. I hope the boys will understand now what needs to be done."

How did Bangladesh perform in their previous ODI match against Pakistan?

Bangladesh delivered a terrible performance in their previous ODI match against Pakistan National Cricket Team on October 31 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

Bangladesh’s World Cup campaign took a hit as they suffered a 7-wicket defeat against Pakistan after failing to perform in all three departments.

Their batting lineup struggled badly, managing only 204 runs in 45.1 overs. Tanzid Hasan fell for a duck in the first over, setting the tone for a tough outing.

Litton Das (45) and Mahmudullah (56) fought back, but their efforts weren’t enough to get to a huge score. The Bangladesh batters were not allowed to build big partnerships as Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim, and Haris Rauf kept them under the.

Despite some good contributions from Shakib Al Hasan (43) and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (25), Bangladesh crumbled under pressure and lost the last five wickets for just 19 runs.

Defending the score, Bangladesh bowlers were demolished by Pakistan's openers. Fakhar Zaman’s blistering 81 and Abdullah Shafique’s brilliant 68 dismantled any hopes of a comeback for the Shakib Al Hasan-led side.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz was the only bright spot as he picked up all three wickets, dismissing Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique and Babar Azam, but Pakistan chased down the target withease in 32.3 overs.