‘Bangladesh follow cricket more intensely than India’

Bangladesh's premium all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan said that cricket is now followed more closely and intensely in Bangladesh than in India.

"The way we like cricket over here, I don't think even in India they follow the game like that. So, cricket comes before everything else in Bangladesh right now," Shakib said while talking to reporters.

The ace all-rounder feels that it is a big achievement the way Bangladesh have transformed over the years.

"This achievement is something big for us cricketers," he said.

The all-rounder, who is set to play his 50th Test, credited not only the players but also the facilities, support staff, the coaches involved, the fans and even the reporters for this progress.

He suggested that everybody's involvement has resulted in this transformation for Bangladesh not only for the past 10 or 11 years but even before that.

Commenting on the Australia team the cricketer said: "Whatever team Australia brings and in whatever situation -- they are always a difficult opponent. There is no better team in the world than Australia when it comes to being able to adapt to various places. So this is a very challenging series for us."