Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto has kept every bowling option on the table ahead of the Mackay Test, while making clear his side has no interest in speculating on how Australia might respond after their nine-wicket defeat in Darwin.

Bangladesh lead the two-match series 1-0 after that dominant win, and Shanto acknowledged the result has given the squad genuine confidence heading into the decider.

Still, he was firm that translating belief into performance on the field mattered far more than the memory of the win itself.

"A win like that will certainly give us confidence. As professional cricketers, it is very important to come back from that. In the two days of practice, the players have come back very well from that and adapted very well," Shanto said.

Even after a dominant display in the first Test, the captain pointed to specific areas Bangladesh had identified for improvement, particularly around fielding discipline.

"There is always room for improvement. No one drops a catch intentionally, it is part of the game. But the fewer there are, the better. There are small areas for improvement, and we have discussed those."

Shanto also addressed the broader significance of testing his side regularly in conditions like Australia's, framing the Darwin win as proof Bangladesh belong on the biggest stages.

"If we don't play, we won't improve ourselves, nor will we be able to show how capable we are in world cricket. We believe the team we have is capable of playing in any conditions."

Asked whether the raised expectations following Darwin felt like added pressure, Shanto pushed back on that framing entirely, calling public expectation a positive rather than a burden, and encouraged supporters to turn out at the Great Barrier Reef Arena regardless of the result.

Head coach Phil Simmons had already warned the squad that Australia would look to hit back hard after the Darwin defeat, and Shanto did not rule out that possibility either.

But he was clear he had no interest in dwelling on what the opposition might do, preferring to keep the group's focus entirely on their own game.

Australia later announced their XI shortly after the press conference, making just one change from Darwin, with Matt Renshaw brought in to replace Jake Weatherald.

"I don't want to think that far ahead. We want to play good cricket session by session. If we think about the result beforehand, I think it will be much more challenging and difficult for us," Shanto said.

That same philosophy extended to team selection, with Shanto keeping his own options genuinely open on bowling combinations depending on how the Mackay pitch behaves.

"The wicket looked good after seeing it. All five pacers in the squad are ready to play. The positive thing is that we have two spinners who can bowl well in any conditions."

He noted the conditions in Mackay differ meaningfully from Darwin, with cooler temperatures and stronger wind likely to influence team balance.

"It is different from there, it is a little colder here, and there is also more wind. If we can use the wind, there will be a good opportunity for the bowlers."

Training sessions have offered some hints at Bangladesh's thinking, with left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam spending extended time batting in the nets alongside Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain and Hasan Mahmud, while left-arm spinner Taijul Islam did not bat at all, fuelling speculation over a possible four-pacer combination.

Shanto remained deliberately non-committal when pressed on the make-up of his attack, stressing that every pace option, including Khaled Ahmed, was available for selection alongside the trusted spin pairing of Taijul and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, both of whom he believes can be effective in any conditions, including Mackay's.