The 30-year-old, who had led the Under 19s to the Plate Championship in the U-19 World Cup in Bangladesh in 2004 where they defeated Australia and also seen the majority of the boys he had worked with graduate to the Test level during his tenure, spoke to Rabeed Imam Of Daily Star Sport on Monday about his two-year experience in Bangladesh.

Rabeed Imam (RI): Are you leaving because your contract is about to expire?

RICHARD MCINNESS (RM): The contract wasn't supposed to expire until September, so I'm definitely leaving on my terms. I was offered a very good position with the BCB but in Australia if you don't take the kind of offer I had received from Crickat Australia, the next chance might not come in another three years. We were very happy here and I would have continued if Cricket Australia hadn't showed interest. Infact my wife was pretty disappointed that we had to move. She had made some friend friends here but with a new addition to the family and due to some other considerations, I thought this was the time.

RI: Are you satisfied with the work you have put here?
RM: Well, the under-19s, they area lot better players than they were two years ago. They are a little bit out of their level playing against the second best team in the world at the moment, but we have definitely made a lot of progress.

RI: Did you ever feel frustrated that some of your young players were being picked for the main team before they were ready?
RM: It was frustrating at times but having said that, I also understood the reason. Theses guys are probably the best in their positions in the team. I agree that it is too early to pick Rajib (Shahadat Hossain), Nafees (Iqbal), Rahim (Mushfiqur), Aftab (Ahmed), Abeer (Shahriar Nafees) and all those guys who should not be playing Test cricket in another five years. But saying that, there is no one in Bangladesh who will do any better than they will.

Over time they will be good enough players and will be very competitive at Test level.

You have to stick with them. For example, some of the older players who are giving you 30 in a Test match now, will still give 30 in five years time. On the other hand, if you pick one of the younger guys who is scoring 30 at the moment. after five years, that chap will give you 130. They have the physical skills to become good players. Nobody can predict the future but I think in about 12 months from now, they (the selectors) should have a squad of 15 to 18 players who they need to pick for 5-10 years. Just stick with them.

RI: What was it like for you when you first arrived and what have you spotted as the biggest problem with our cricket?
RM: It was a cultural shock. In Australia, even children grow up in a highly competitive culture. Nobody tells them that they have to win. They are just motivated that way. Here it is different. But in sports, you have got to have that winning mentality. We have tried to instill that. The problem with Bangladeshi players is that most of them are externally motivated and that goes for some of the officials and administrators too. From that aspect, the under 19s or the under-15 are very different. They are internally motivated. They are not like some of the past and present players national who say I am this and that. The young guys are not motivated by money or fame. They wan to win.

RI: But isn't it a select group of players who are being benefited from the development programme?
RM: I can't work with all the players. But what we have done is we have worked with a lot of coaches and now they are teaching the same things. It's like a bush fire. You light one here, one there and then the whole place is on fire. By training the coaches, we have tried to get that effect all over the country.

I am pleased that Fahim (Nazmul Abedin) has worked with the young guys for three years. Salahuddin, who is about my age, is a very fine young coach also. They are qualified and have the quality and there are a few other guys also. So I am pretty sure that there will be continuation of the process we have put together.

RI: What were the things that you have changed during your time?
RM: It was tough in the beginning. There was no systematic training in place although the players were working as hard as anybody in the world . For example, you would go to the Bangabandhu Stadium and you would see a national player knocking the ball against a 12-13 year old. Now you tell me what good would that do when you'll be playing international matches against Harmison or McGrath. So we tried to put together a system first for the younger players. Food and nutrition were major factors too. At first as there was a lot of hard work and they did not like it. But even in Australia people don't like to work hard but now you talk to those players and all the guys appreciate that it was worth it.

RI: Being a passionate person, how do you react to the calls for Bangladesh's Test status to be scrapped?
RM: I get excited. But put yourself in their shoes and you can realise where they are coming from. I don't think it is the worse idea in the world to have a second tier. But that should also involve teams like Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Pakistan and the West Indies although I don't think those countries are going to like that idea too much. There are a whole range of issues. Some people have suggested that we play against the associate members more. We sent a young A team to UAE and they just walloped that side who are supposed to be one of the stronger associate members. So we can't go a step back as the difference between the associate members and us is huge.

RI: Why do you feel that Bangladesh will eventually prosper in international cricket?
RM: The passion. You can see people playing cricket everywhere. On the other hand, in Australia we are trying to sell the game to young people. Just imagine if even half of the 140-million population are playing cricket, even then that is massive. The talent here is as good as anywhere in the world if not better. That is what gives me hope.

RI: Do you have any criticism about of the officials and administrators here?
RM: If you want to be successful in anything, there has to be a combination of three things -- ability, willingness and availability. I have found some of the administrators here have the ability, they want to do good for the cricket but because of their business and other commitments, they are not available when required. Also, everyone seems to be interested in the national team. There is not enough being done for the domestic structure and competitions.

RI: Does Dav Whatmore take information from you regarding your boys who have graduated to the main team?
RM:Unfortunately Dav never asked me. But with so many of my boys in the team, it would have been useful because I know what to tell Rajib when he is down or any other player of that group for that matter. But it is not for me to go and tell him that. That was one of the frustrating parts.