Skipper Shanto plays down Bangladesh's indifferent ODI form ahead of Sri Lanka series

Bangladesh were one of the worst teams in ODIs last year, losing 18 out of 29 completed matches in this format in 2023. Only Afghanistan had a worse win-loss ratio in the 50-over format but they had a higher-place finish in the World Cup.

But newly appointed full-time captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said 2023 was a "one bad year" and is determined to turn a corner as Bangladesh gear up for the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka starting on Wednesday.

"We are prepared for a turnaround as a team. We did very well between 2015 and 2022, but we had one bad year. That can happen. We always face challenges at this level, so it is important that we start playing well," Shanto told reporters on Tuesday. 

Shakib Al Hasan has been out of international cricket since the World Cup and Shanto said they have to keep his absence in mind while planning the batting order.

"We didn't change [our line-up] much in our last series in New Zealand. Shakib bhai isn't in the team, so there will be a bit more planning. He makes life easy for all of us. We will keep his absence in mind when making the batting order. We are hopeful of having a steady batting line-up," Shanto added.

The Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS) saw high-scoring games in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2024. The conditions can be unforgiving for the bowlers at times and Shanto said adaptability is important on such wickets.

"It is important to see how the bowlers adjust to the conditions and wicket in Chattogram," he said. "It is definitely a challenge for them. Everyone has to consider the conditions in which they are bowling. We are not worried about how much a bowler is conceding individually. We want to see the bowling unit functioning well as a group."