Win or lose, we want to play as a team: Shanto

Bangladesh will begin their first home ODI series of 2024, a three-match series against Sri Lanka, on Wednesday with the first ODI at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.

The day before the match, skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto said that more than winning or losing, he wants his team to play as a unit.

"Win or lose, the most important thing is whether we are playing as a team or not," Shanto told the media in Chattogram today.

"In the New Zealand series, we wanted to play as a team. In every game, no matter the match situation, we strived to win. This will be our plan till the next World Cup to continue playing well as a team and supporting each other. Especially backing a player who is going through a rough patch," he added.

Bangladesh's seven-year unbeaten streak in home ODI series ended last year with a 2-1 series defeat to England in March. Later that year, the Tigers also lost the ODI series to Afghanistan and New Zealand at home.

Shanto, who will be leading the team in ODIs for the first time as the permanent skipper on Wednesday, said that his team is determined to bounce back from the poor results in home ODIs in 2023.

"We played really good cricket from 2015 to 2022. We had one bad year, which can happen. But it's crucial that we bounce back as a team this year. We are well prepared to do that."