Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto hopes a strong performance in next month's two-Test series in Australia will help secure more opportunities for his team to tour the country in the future.Bangladesh will leave Dhaka on Friday for their first Test tour of Australia since 2003, ending a 23-year gap between series."Our main goal is to earn respect by playing good cricket," Shanto told reporters on Thursday. "If we can make the series competitive, hopefully they will invite us again."

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While Bangladesh's long-term hopes hinge on building stronger ties with Australia, Shanto said the team's immediate focus remains on the two matches.

"We go into every match trying to win," he said. "The important thing is how well we play and how much pressure we can put on them. If we play two good Test matches, that could create more opportunities for us in the future."

The captain described the tour as a rare opportunity for Bangladesh, who have not played a Test in Australia for more than two decades.

"I feel fortunate to be leading the team there," Shanto said. "Looking back, we probably should have played more Tests in Australia over the last 23 years, although we also have to admit that we did not play good enough Test cricket for a long period."

The lengthy absence means several generations of Bangladesh cricketers have gone through their careers without a Test in Australia. Veteran Mushfiqur Rahim, despite playing more than 100 Tests across a career spanning two decades, is set for his first Test appearance on Australian soil.

Shanto also said the growing expectations surrounding Bangladesh's Test side reflected the progress the team has made in recent years.

"It is a positive thing that our supporters expect us to win every series," he said. "Twenty-three years ago, that probably was not the case. Now, people believe Bangladesh can beat any team, and that is a good sign of how far we have come."