Not mature enough to learn fast
It was an unscheduled day off for the Bangladesh team yesterday after their nine-wicket defeat in the second Test on the fourth day on Monday. But the morning was dominated by meetings, with coach Chandika Hatuhrusingha presiding over those sessions along with coaching staff and players before their departure to different destinations today. So a scheduled press meet with the coach was understandably delayed by one and a half hours. He finally arrived, sporting a white short-sleeve T-shirt and after checking with the media manager Rabeed Imam if his informal attire was okay, complied with the pensive media outside the lobby of Rendezvous Christchurch. Following is an excerpt from that encounter.
Question (Q): The tour is over. Bangladesh have lost the series. Is it a disappointing result at the end of the day especially after the way they played?
Chandika Hathurusingha (CH): The result was disappointing. We did not win matches. We did not play long enough to win a game. But all in all there are positives to take form the series.
Q: What are the positives?
CH: The positive is mainly that we were competitive. We had opportunities to win in every game but we did not seize those opportunities and that is disappointing. But getting into winning positions in conditions we don't play often and still performing, that was a positive.
Q: The captain took the responsibility for the defeat yesterday. How do you react to that?
CH: All you can ask for is that someone takes responsibility. For me if they are taking responsibility that's a start. You can't ask for more than that from the players. The second thing is they need to do something about it. It's a good start if they have taken the responsibility.
Q: It was a tour of lost opportunities. How do you look at that?
CH: It is very disappointing, to be honest. If we were outplayed and if I felt it was because they did not have the technique or the knowhow, it would have been disappointing. But knowing that they had the opportunity and the skill to do it, and even then not achieving it is very disappointing.
Q: In that case was it the mental issue that was the biggest barrier?
CH: I think the mental thing is one of the reasons that we clearly identified; we talk about that as well. And there are other reasons.
Q: How do you explain the way they batted in the second innings?
CH: As I said it was disappointing the way they approached not only Christchurch but even the Wellington game. We were not mentally strong enough or maybe we don't know the typical thing we are trying, or if we are strong enough to play five days of high intensity cricket. Not to take anything away from New Zealand; they probably played their best cricket in the last innings. In Christchurch they bowled really well. But it's not an excuse because we were beaten by a good team at home. We all know there are high expectations on us and you also have your high expectations. The team and players also have high expectations for themselves because they always show that promise.
Q: With more away series ahead, what would be your advice to the players?
CH: Number one, the starting point is that they are accepting the responsibility; that's a good start. As you all know this is the first away tour after a long time for us. We are learning from that and the quicker we learn and rectify those mistakes the quicker we will move forward.
Q: You said after the first Test that the debacle in the second innings has been addressed in the team meeting and it was heard. But it seems they are not learning from the mistakes.
CH: If I can do magic like that it's a very easy game, this one. I think in bowling, batting and fielding we showed improvement. I think that was until the fourth day morning, considering that we did not have three key players [Mushfiqur Rahim, Imrul Kayes and Mominul Haque]. For the 500 in the first innings of the opening Test I put a lot of credit of Mini's (Mominul's) 60 because with him around we went through that difficult period of intense cricket. In Test cricket there are harder periods that you need to go through. It is hard with the conditions or it is hard mentally. We did well in patches. And if we can turn that around that quickly… I don't think we are that mature a team yet. So, one chat or one practice session is not enough to change that.
Q: And what about someone who has played 45 odd Test matches repeating the same mistakes?
CH: Good question. It is very hard for someone for how many matches you said -- 45 games. What about nine years or 10 years of international cricket? For me experience is not the number of matches, or the number of years that you have played. What matters is how quickly he learns, that will help the individual player and the team.
Q: Bangladesh have dropped so many catches in the series. Did it play a big part in the defeats?
CH: For teams like ours especially, when we don't take the opportunities coming our way it magnifies in overseas conditions. Because at home when you create opportunities we are skilled enough and our skill is supported by the condition. So, here it played a part but I don't think fielding is the reason we lost. Unfortunately, our bowling effort, the young bowling effort was not rewarded because of that.
Q: How happy are you with the green pace attack in the Tests?
CH: Overall I'm happy with the performance. There is something to build on. It's not all doom and gloom. You can't discard some of them or go overboard with some of them because of what happened. I think this experience will help Bangladesh cricket and it will help those players get confidence to do well in the future.
Q: How impressed are you with Kamrul Islam Rabbi's batting effort?
CH: He showed that he can bat for the situation. He showed a lot of courage in batting and bowling in the four Test matches he has played.
Q: With a lot of cricket coming after the series, isn't it a bit physically demanding for the players?
CH: It's challenging physically for sure because we haven't played much Test cricket before. At the same time you also take the domestic cricket they played non-stop. It's not only physically challenging for them but also mentally. They need mental as well as physical rest. What we are trying to do is to give them as much rest as possible between training sessions leading up to the Champions Trophy. We also identified certain players who need more rest.
Q: What is the injury status of Mustafizur Rahman?
CH: Mustafizur is medically cleared. So he is coming back slowly, building his bowling workload to get back his full fitness from injury that kept him out for seven months.
Q: A few players also have commitments to foreign franchises. Will those assignments be demanding for them on the sidelines of their national commitments?
CH: They will have to be professional enough to handle those spaces. We will have to leave it up to the players for to manage themselves and keep fit.
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