Najmul eyes a 'new start' in bid to improve Bangladesh's Test fortunes

Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain said on Saturday that they are looking 'to start something new' as they prepare to take on Zimbabwe in the two-match Test series, scheduled at Sylhet from April 20.

Since their historic Test series win over Pakistan, Bangladesh could earn only one win from six Tests as they were clean swept away by India and South Africa in the two-match Test series while managing to earn a draw against West Indies, courtesy winning their last Test at their own backyard.

"It's very important. It's sad that after so many years of playing Test cricket, we still have to talk about the Test culture. If we start from last year, we have won four matches out of 12 in the Test Championship and all four matches were against the big teams. So there have been discussions since then on how we can build the Test culture," Najmul told reporters ahead of the series opener against Zimbabwe at Syhlet.

"The new coach (Simmons) has a plan on how he wants to take the team forward and he has shared that with the players. I hope we will do something new this year in the Tests," he said.

"As a captain, I think that we need to play every match to win. We don't have that intention to play selfish cricket. As I said, we would start something new and that would start from tomorrow. The preparation and mental practice the players need to do that, they are getting it," he said.

"I also hope that the management will also help us in this regard too. 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 favor," he said adding that they should take encouragement from the series against West Indies as they managed to make a comeback in a difficult situation.

"We need to put enough runs on the board in order to get 20 wickets. We've discussed these. Also body language should be aggressive whatever the situation might be. We've got that against the West Indies. I hope the players will continue to do that," he said.

"We didn't play well at home last year. We couldn't execute the plans we had. I think it will be important to bring the results at home. Getting the results in away is difficult."

Meanwhile, Zimbabwean skipper Craig Ervine said that they are ready to face the challenge against the hosts on a grassy wicket that is likely to suit their spearhead Nahid Rana. "We can probably expect the wicket to be seamer-friendly and there's grass on the wicket. We trained for a couple of days. We are confident of our preparations so we are looking forward to it," said Ervine.

"Footage always goes around, so we have had a look at Nahid Rana. You don't, however, know until you face him in the middle. We have to prepare our mindset for him," he added.

Ervine added that though they did not do well in the recent past in red-ball cricket they are hoping for a turnaround. "I understand we haven't had a great run in Test cricket but this is the first year in a while that we have a lot of Tests lined up. It's really exciting-the opponents, the opportunity. When you play more, you get some continuity," he added.

"This group hasn't played much in Bangladesh but it's good for them to learn and grow in these conditions. We want to bring a no-fear attitude. Long preparations give you the confidence to go out and express yourself," he explained.