Hathurusingha: If I see any action of complacency in the team, I will have one to one chat
Head coach of Bangladesh Chandika Hathurusingha said on Tuesday that the seniors are ensuring that complacency doesn’t seep into the dressing room and that there are no ‘tall poppies’ in the dressing room; Bangladesh leads the series 1-0 going into the second Test against New Zealand.
Head coach of Bangladesh Chandika Hathurusingha said on Tuesday that the seniors are ensuring that complacency doesn’t seep into the dressing room and that there are no ‘tall poppies’ in the dressing room.
Bangladesh leads the series 1-0 going into the second Test against New Zealand. They will defeat New Zealand in their first-ever Test series if they win or draw the second game.
“I can’t see complacency in the team. If I see any action of complacency, I will have one to one chat. We had a good chat in the dressing room yesterday. Strong and experienced leaders like Mushy and Mominul spoke very emotionally. I can see there’s no tall poppy in the dressing room,”
Hathurusingha told reporters ahead of the second Test at the Sher-e- Bangla National Stadium on Tuesday.
The head coach was also full of admiration for the future leadership potential of stand-in captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. Shanto is the clear favorite to be named the all-format captain. Shanto is currently leading the Test team in Shakib Al Hasan’s absence.
“Captaincy and leadership are two things. Captaincy was excellent. He was tactically on the mark. He was a step ahead of the game most of the time. Very impressive field placing as well and was sometimes unorthodox but very effective and his leadership was excellent. He led from the front with his performance. He was commanding respect, and demanding the standard,”
Hathurusingha said.
“I think he has a long future ahead. The decision to appoint him as captain is with the board. They will make that decision when the right time comes. Definitely (a strong contender for captaincy),”
he added.
In addition, the head coach said that his team would play with the same level of freedom as they did in the first game and that, despite missing a few key players, including Shakib, Tamim Iqbal, Litton Das, Ebadot Hossain, and Taskin Ahmed, the result was a great advertisement for domestic cricket.
“The message is the same. It is about going forward with what we have, understanding our strengths, and trying to compete in every session. It is a young side in the sense of experience but they are really good in terms of skills. When they are given the freedom to play, the way they normally play in the NCL, they play well,”
Hathurusingha said.
“This is a good advertisement for our domestic cricket. Seven players from that XI played domestic cricket. You can see their energy on the field till the fifth day. It is not about the outcome. It can vary in cricket. They were still there when the opposition had long partnerships. Those are little signs that I look at. The young team gave their all. The message is to do the same thing,”
he added.
As he considered the victory in Sylhet, Hathurusingha gave his batsmen credit for their effort in both innings of the match.
Bangladesh lost early wickets due to poor shot selection, but they still managed to score 310 when they batted first. Hathurusingha defended his batters’ strategy while acknowledging that they could have scored more.
“Our second innings batting was crucial to win the game. We had two 90-plus partnerships and Mominul (Haque) in both of them. We could have scored a little more in the first innings but we decided on a certain approach when the wicket was good. Things can go your way when you approach it like that. It can sometimes go against you. We played according to the conditions and our plan. I am happy with the performance in both innings,”
he said.
Despite using just one fast bowler in their last Test match, Bangladesh’s lineup for the Dhaka match is still unknown.
When Bangladesh played against Afghanistan in a recent Test match in Dhaka – they used three quicks. However, Hathurusingha said that his team’s lineup will change based on the situation and the limitations of the opposition.
“I think if you know cricket well, you will have the combination depending on conditions and oppositions’ limitations, tactically. The pitch was different in the last Test we played here against Afghanistan. It was not on this strip. It was on the other side. He had a lot of time to prepare. There was no cricket leading up to that time,”
he said.
“We decided to go with three fast bowlers because of the conditions and opposition. If you remember the Test before Afghanistan, it was a different wicket against Ireland. The fact is that we have all these skill sets now. We can use it the way we want. That’s a plus side for Bangladesh cricket,” he added.
Nayeem Hasan injured his finger while batting in the nets, and he appears unlikely to play in the second Test, which is a problem for Bangladesh.
The second game will start on December 06, Wednesday. December 06, Wednesday – December 10, Sunday.
2nd Test – Bangladesh vs New Zealand, Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka, 09:00 AM
Bangladesh Squad: Shadman Islam, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Nurul Hasan (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shahadat Hossain, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Taijul Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Mominul Haque, Hasan Murad, Nayeem HasanNew Zealand Squad: 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, Kane Williamson, Will Young, Neil Wagner