Experienced Bangladesh Ready for Tough Test Against Australia, Says Hannan Sarkar

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Bangladesh are set to begin another Test tour of Australia 23 years after their first visit, with former opener Hannan Sarkar believing the team is now better prepared despite facing one of the strongest bowling attacks in world cricket.

During Bangladesh’s maiden Test series in Australia in 2003, the visitors were in only their third year as a Test-playing nation and suffered innings defeats in both matches against an Australian side featuring Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie and Stuart McGill. McGill finished as the leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets, while the pace trio shared 22 wickets across Bangladesh’s four innings.

This time, Bangladesh will face another formidable attack led by Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and veteran spinner Nathan Lyon.

Hannan, Bangladesh’s highest run-scorer on the 2003 tour with 166 runs, said Australia’s bowling unit remains among the best in the world and will once again present a major challenge.

"I think the bowling attack that Australia had back then was one of the most dominant in world cricket. Similarly, if you look at their current attack -- Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc -- they are also among the most dominant bowlers in world cricket today. Australia had the best bowling attack then, and they still have one of the best bowling attacks now," Hannan told reporters in Mirpur.

He also described Nathan Lyon as one of the most dangerous spinners in Test cricket, saying Bangladesh will need to be at their best to compete.

However, Hannan believes Bangladesh’s greater experience gives them a better chance than in 2003. Mushfiqur Rahim, Mominul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Litton Das now form an experienced batting group with significant Test exposure.

"Our batters now know these bowlers well. Back in 2003, we didn't have that knowledge. Compared to then, our batters have a much better understanding of them and have had plenty of opportunities to analyse their strengths and gain valuable insights," he said.

Hannan added that Bangladesh’s progress over the past two decades should help the team produce stronger performances in Australia.

He also stressed the importance of maintaining discipline throughout the series rather than focusing on extending matches into the fifth day.

"What is more important is to approach the Tests day by day. If our batters remain disciplined and pay close attention to that aspect, we will have a good chance of putting up a big total," he said.