Bangladesh bowled Australia out for 198 in the first innings before making 426 themselves, taking a 228-run lead. Australia reached 161/4 by the close of day three, still trailing by 67 runs.
Shanto said the team had always planned to make the Test a five-day contest and was delighted with the way the players had performed over the opening three days.
“Our plan was to play for at least five days. The way we have shown our ability and the way we have played cricket over the last two or three days has been really outstanding. It’s great to see the whole team playing like this.” Shanto said to Fox cricket.
Shanto said Bangladesh were taking the game session by session, with the players avoiding unnecessary focus on the final result.
“We are planning session by session. Rather than thinking about the result, we are sticking to our plans and moving forward. We are only thinking about how we can take wickets. The way our bowlers are bowling in these conditions has been really impressive.”
The Bangladesh captain also highlighted one of the biggest areas of improvement in the team over recent years, the contribution from the middle and lower order.
“The biggest improvement in our team has been that we have always thought about how the middle order and lower order can contribute with the bat. Today, our bowlers showed what they can do with the bat. This is something we have been working on for the last two or three years.”
Bangladesh will now enter the fourth day with a 67-run deficit to erase, but Shanto insisted that the team would continue to focus on the process rather than the possibility of a historic Test victory in Australia.
