NEWS
Follow UsBangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe is mighty pleased with how the bowling unit performed against Sri Lanka in their opening encounter of the 2024 T20 World Cup. Sri Lanka were 100/4 at one stage but the Bangladesh bowlers pulled things back in the last six overs and restricted them to 125, which they chased it down with two wickets in hand.
Speaking ahead of Bangladesh’s second game against South Africa in New York on June 10 (Monday), Hathurusinghe said: “I think Mustafizur Rahman is bowling really well. He is confident about his own plans. He comes from different angles.
“The way the bowling unit has taken ownership of the situation and plans, it was very impressive. My coaching staff is doing a good job by giving them a lot of information but they are the ones making all the decisions in the middle."
The head coach also heaped heavy praise on young legspinner Rishad Hossain, who took 3/22 in his four overs. It was him who single-handedly reduced Sri Lanka from 100/3 to 109/6. “We backed him for a year. We knew that he is going to win games for us.
"Winning that game was important. It was very satisfying. You know how challenging it is for us to get a legspinner into the team. I don't blame anybody. It is the culture. We don't understand the value of a legspinner.
"Even in this game (vs Sri Lanka), he went for runs in the first over, so I give credit to (Najmul Hossain) Shanto for bringing him for the last two overs to change the game. I think we are understanding the value of legspin, and he is growing in confidence."
The likes of Tanzid Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Shakib Al Hasan only scored 18 runs between them and Hathurusinghe wants them to calm down and do what works for them. “We talk about their game, their strength and their opposition. But once they (the batters) get into the middle, they are on their own.
“They need to understand their game and how they feel. It is not technical. If you look at the dismissals, they are not getting out in a certain way. I think they need to calm down and think about their strength. When you are confident, you play to your strength. That's the message for any batter: remember your actions when you are doing well."
Hathurusinghe also heaped heavy praise on Mahmudullah who remained unbeaten on 16 off 13 and got Bangladesh over the line in the penultimate over. “I was always impressed with his (Mahmudullah's) ability to finish games, that's why he is batting where he is batting.
"He has a lot of experience. He is one of the calmest guys in the middle under pressure in our team. He knows his role. I was very pleased. I always want him to be there in the end, whatever happens. He is a big match performer. He has done well for us in previous World Cups."
Talking about the much-debated New York surface, Hathurusinghe said: “Any game, any condition, you have to stick to your individual strength. But then, the biggest challenge for any batsman in cricket is the condition. So, if they can't adapt to the condition, it's difficult for them.
“Your success depends on that, your ability to adapt for the condition. So, we have spoken, and we have a game plan that what we think that if we bat first, what we want to do. And if we bat second, of course, we see what's in front of us. Yes, you stick to your strength, but then condition may make a big part of it, how you adapt to the condition.”
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