Chandika Hathurusingha: This is almost like a new-look Bangladesh team for various reasons, not by design
Bangladesh’s head Coach Chandika Hathurusingha said on Sunday, November 26, that his squad hopes to turn a new page in the two-match Test series against New Zealand following a disappointing World Cup campaign.
Bangladesh’s head Coach Chandika Hathurusingha said on Sunday, November 26, that his squad hopes to turn a new page in the two-match Test series against New Zealand following a disappointing World Cup campaign.
The third cycle of the ICC Test Championship, which will consist of Tests at Sylhet and Dhaka, will see both Bangladesh and New Zealand begin their campaigns.
The Nazmul Hossain-led team will have a lot of new faces because regular skipper Shakib Al Hasan, quick bowlers Ebadot Hossain and Taskin Ahmed missing due to injuries, and senior players Tamim Iqbal and Litton Das are out due to personal reasons.
“This is almost like a new-look Bangladesh team for various reasons, not by design. Sometimes it’s injuries. So, I think we are ready as we can be and I’m looking forward to this Test series,”
Hathurusingha told reporters at the SICS, two days out from the game.
“It’s challenging to lose that much of experience from any team, especially for Bangladesh because those guys have been, like, part of the Bangladesh team in every format for more than 15 years, some of them, and some of them 10 years, so that’s why I said, for us, it’s something to look forward to, what the youngsters can do.
“I think it’s a time that we need to move on from some of the players that have played for a long time. They’re not going to be there forever. But this is happening because of many reasons. So, I think it’s exciting, and it’s an opportunity for some of the youngsters to make their name and then have a long career,”
he added.
“He (Litton) wanted leave for one month and didn’t want to play two Tests as he wanted to give time to his family. We have granted it because we cannot push any player to play,”
said Jalal Yunus.
“We wanted him to play the second Test but he insisted that he wants to give time to his family for one month. He wanted to be with his newborn baby and her mother and he insisted several times. We approved his plea,”
Yunus said
“If some cricketer doesn’t want to play, in that case, you cannot put him in the national team because the professionalism needs to come from the heart that ‘I want to play for my country’ and he must know whether he is available or not,” he added.
Hathurusingha highlighted the spin strength of his side and said that Hasan Murad, an uncapped left-arm spinner, shouldn’t feel pressured to perform better in the absence of a senior figure like Shakib; instead, he should keep doing what got him a spot in the national team by performing well on the domestic circuit.
“He’s been the leading wicket-taker for NCL for the last two years. So he’s done his things, he’s earned his place in the squad. My message to him is to be the same one, not to be X Factor or Y, it doesn’t matter. What he has done in the NCL or the BCL, the selectors have seen that that’s why he’s here. So our message for the boys is do the same thing that you’ve been doing, that’s why you’re here.
“There is an experience in Taijul [Islam] and [Mehidy Hasan] Miraz. Taijul, I think over 200 Test wickets. Definitely, he’ll be a leader of the attack and Miraz, playing since 2016, if I remember. And then there’s young Murad is there, and Naeem Hassan. I think playing in these conditions and this heat, those guys, spinners mainly, play a big role.”
Haturusingha, who briefly led the ODI team in Shakib’s absence, expressed his excitement to watch how Nazmul Hossain would handle his captaincy responsibilities in the face of Test cricket’s difficulties. Additionally, he downplayed the significance of the historic victory at Mount Maunganui during the previous meeting between these two teams in New Zealand, saying that the game would be completely different at home.
“The new captain, it’s an opportunity for him to create his own leadership group, his own way of leading. So he will be different. It’s an opportunity for him as well as the other players to get used to the way he leads. I’m really excited for all these changes,”
he said.
“Every team, I think, pride on winning at home. We are no different, so we are looking to win games in our conditions. And try and compete on the away condition. That’s the plan. And we are very aware of our limitations and strengths. So, we are not going to predict big things. But we are trying to compete as well as we can at home. And then when we go away, we will prepare because if you look, we are developing a team now. It’s just a kind of changing guard for Bangladesh cricket. And the exciting thing is there are good young players there, but the challenge is these guys haven’t played enough crickets leading up to.
“So our planning has to be a little bit better than this going forward and making a bigger pool of players available for every position, bowling, batting, and having a lot of challenges, like players challenging the others who are in the team, to make our team better,”
he concluded.
Bangladesh Squad For New Zealand Tests: Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Naeem Hasan, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Shahadat Hossain Dipu, Hasan Murad.
New Zealand Test Squad For The Series: Tim Southee (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Devon Conway, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Neil Wagner, Kane Williamson, Will Young