When asked whether he was suffering the pains of losing out on what might very well have been an even greater innings, a casual Najmul Hossain Shanto remarked during yesterday’s press conference, “No, I am happy with whatever I have done.”
This was in response to a question about whether or not he was feeling the pangs of missing out. The ease with which Shanto established himself against Afghanistan the day before led the media to pose the issue of whether or not there was some kind of ‘disappointment’ in the outcome.
During a huge innings of 146, the drives, flicks, and pulls in front of square were all hit out. The only thing that might be considered frustrating about his innings was the way it finished, when he holed out at deep mid-wicket while attempting to go for a huge shot. On the other hand, there was nothing unsatisfactory about the manner in which Shanto has been responding to his criticisms as of late.
Since the beginning of the year, he has maintained a batting average of above 50 across all three formats. Furthermore, he contributed with vital runs in the England Twenty20 Internationals played at home, which resulted in a 3-0 victory. Just recently, he achieved his first century in a One-Day International while playing for England against Ireland in a thrilling chase. In terms of his current form, he is Bangladesh’s top hitter, and the task for him in the one-off test was to withstand the heat and weariness and keep working for greater knocks.
He overcame the first two difficulties and made it appear simple, despite the fact that he did not feel very confident about his performance. Yesterday, he hit several of Afghanistan’s bowlers over the boundary, and he disputed the notion just as emphatically as he hit those bowlers. He explained how he batted according to a certain game plan, and it was evident on the field in the crispness of his strokeplay.
“No, I didn’t get the impression that it was simple out there. I made an effort to carry out the strategy that I had devised for myself. My thoughts were crystal clear on the tasks that I had to do. Perhaps it seems straightforward to you, but I struggled with it right from the start,” he said.
Shanto reasoned that since he had spent so much time practicing and believing in himself despite being told by a significant number of supporters that he did not belong on the national team for such a long time, his efforts were paying off.
There is no distinction to be made [between the good times and the terrible ones]. I have always had faith in my practice routine, in putting in a lot of hard effort, and in figuring out what has to be done. I was under the impression that I was progressing in the appropriate manner, and I was working hard while I was practicing. There is a horrible sensation that comes along when you are not scoring, but I did not overthink the situation nor did I fret about the results. It rings true for me in a lot of ways. I choose not to concentrate on the unfavorable aspects. The most important thing was to zero in on the areas in which I was deficient. I didn’t receive results at the time, but they are starting to come in now, and I’d want to keep going,” he added.
Shanto managed his tempo in order to have a smooth knock right from the beginning. In addition, his desire and aggressiveness caused the guests to forget about the grassy surface of the field. Shanto noted that he had not played against a poor opponent in international cricket up to this point, despite the fact that Afghanistan’s bowlers may have lacked discipline.
“In every game of international cricket that I’ve ever played, the competition never seemed to lack strength. When it was stated that the assault in Afghanistan was feeble in comparison to contemporary international standards, he responded by saying that it was tough to score against every side. “It was difficult to score against every side.” They had several nice overs bowled by their spinners. Our hitters deserve all the credit for the way they played the spinners because of how well they navigated them.
It was Shanto’s first ton on home turf, and if there was any disappointment, it is up to Shanto himself to sort things out and find a solution. “It’s true that the innings could have been bigger, and when the opportunity presents itself, I will look to make such innings even bigger,” he added. “It’s true that the innings could have been bigger.”