Shanto targets ‘major trophy win’ for Tigers

He led Bangladesh in the New Zealand ODI series before the World Cup and briefly in the mega event and after that in the two-match series against New Zealand and a reverse white-ball tour to that country, but the three-match T20I series starting on Monday will be Najmul Hossain Shanto's first assignment as the full-time captain in international cricket. 

Shanto was horribly out of touch in the recently concluded Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) but will be eyeing a fresh start as the Tigers gear up to renew their rivalry with Sri Lanka. 

Bangladesh did not lose a single T20I series last year and with the World Cup looming, it will be important for them to do well in the series keeping the World Cup in mind.

"The T20I series went well last year. I feel there has been a lot of improvement in the T20Is. If we continue to improve in some areas, we can play well against any team in any condition. Our plan will become clearer. The responsibility for every player should be to improve the team's performance from their respective positions," Shanto said ahead of the first T20I at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. 

Shanto was the vice-captain in Bangladesh's flop World Cup campaign last year and said they need to "figure out" how they can win a major trophy. 

"We are doing well in ODIs. As a team, we are yet to win any major tournament. We need to figure out how we can play good cricket in major tournaments or bring a trophy home for the country," Shanto added.

The southpaw led the Tigers to their maiden home Test win over New Zealand last year. According to him, Bangladesh should win most of the home Tests now.

"I don't feel we have made much progress in Tests. We have started playing better. However, I believe when we have matches at home, we should win most of those matches. Everyone should give priority to Test cricket. When we go abroad, we should be able to compete with overseas sides." he stated.