Bangladesh are eyeing a historic maiden ICC World Test Championship final berth, with captain Najmul Hossain Shanto insisting the opportunity is inspiring rather than pressurising. The Tigers will look to strengthen their qualification hopes in the upcoming home Test series against the West Indies.Bangladesh have a realistic chance to qualifying for WTC final.
Courtesy: APNew Delhi,Oct 27, 2026 17:26 ISTBangladesh are in contention to qualify for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final for the first time in their history, but captain Najmul Hossain Shanto insists the prospect is inspiring rather than pressurising. The Tigers have strengthened their position with encouraging performances in the ongoing 2025-27 cycle, including a historic Test victory in Australia before drawing the two-match series 1-1.Bangladesh currently occupy fourth place in the WTC standings, behind Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.
With crucial home Tests against the West Indies approaching, Shanto's side have an opportunity to strengthen their position and keep their maiden final appearance within reach.“For me, this isn't pressure, it is inspiring (to be in the top four) and I find it inspiring that such scenarios are emerging in Test cricket. I wouldn't call it pressure, because ever since we began our preparations or started discussing this series, our focus has been on how we have played Test cricket over the last few series and indeed over the past few years,” Shanto told reporters.“We don't want to do anything extra; we simply want to stick to our process.
I'm not asking for any extraordinary effort from anyone. While this is certainly a very important series, our goal is just to follow our established process.
The same one that has been yielding results for us,” he said.HOW BANGLADESH CAN REACH WTC FINAL Bangladesh's fourth-place position gives them a genuine opportunity to challenge for a top-two finish, which is required to qualify for the final. Australia, South Africa and New Zealand currently occupy the three positions above them, while India are outside the top four.For Bangladesh, the immediate priority is to make the most of their home advantage against the West Indies.
They have won three, lost two and drawn one of their six Tests in the current cycle, giving them a points percentage of 55.56. The West Indies, currently eighth in the standings, offer Bangladesh an opportunity to collect valuable points.
However, the Tigers must avoid complacency, particularly with a challenging away series against South Africa also remaining in their schedule. Consistent performances across their remaining fixtures will be crucial to their qualification hopes.Bangladesh will begin their two-Test home series against the West Indies with the first Test in Mirpur from October 28 to November 1, followed by the second Test in Sylhet from November 5 to 9.- Ends