‘Sitting back to see how it pans out’
The sky became gloomy just as Bangladesh's training session ended and new Bangladesh head coach Russell Domingo was having a chat with skipper Shakib Al Hasan at the centre wicket of the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram yesterday.
The South African looked enthusiastic, focused and determined two days ahead of the one-off Test against Afghanistan starting tomorrow. It will also be a test of sorts for Domingo as, in his first match in charge, he will begin grappling with the shortcomings of the Tigers' Test play, which generally lags far behind the standards displayed in ODI cricket.
Bangladesh will return to red-ball cricket after a gap of five months, with their last longest-format match taking place in New Zealand in March. On paper Bangladesh's challenge seems a simple one as, led by a Shakib Al Hasan who is much more involved since the World Cup, they will look to continue positive home results against a side playing just their third Test.
There are high expectations of Domingo too. He took charge at a time when the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) prematurely parted ways with previous head coach Steve Rhodes after a disappointing World Cup campaign that left the team at a crossroads.
For now, the former South African will just be looking to offer the odd suggestion as, just over two weeks into his job, he will first be looking to observe and diagnose areas to work on after he sees his charges perform for the first time in the international arena.
He was seen giving some tips to opener Shadman Islam about his batlift in the nets, where the Tigers spent most of the time yesterday. Domingo also cheered and appreciated every good stroke from the likes of Mushfiqur Rahim and Soumya Sarkar.
"It is going to be my first Test for Bangladesh. I want to see how they perform, and it is difficult to make wholesale changes to a system that has worked really well for them in the last couple of Tests. I am sitting back to see how things pan out for the first Test. The selectors and Shakib have led me to thinking in a certain way, and I am pretty comfortable with it before I can put my way on to the team," Domingo told reporters when asked whether the Tigers will stick with a spin-heavy attack, which has been the go-to strategy for them since 2016.
Famously known as a players' coach, Domingo was willing to put his faith on the existing set of players and the South African was also not shy in highlighting Shakib's instructions and plans to the media before making decisions, presumably because Domingo knows how crucial Shakib's involvement, both as captain and player, will be behind his own success.
"He has been the leading all-rounder in world cricket for a long time. Expectations are always high. He sets high standards of himself too, he trained really hard. His performances in all formats have been fantastic. Our expectations from him as a leader and a player is very high," he said.
There is a lot to prove not just for Domingo but also his new coaching staff. The new pace bowling coach Charl Langeveldt was also busy with the three Bangladesh seamers Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain and Abu Jayed in the nets.
Domingo is well aware of the threat from Afghanistan and he certainly would not want to give them an inch, despite them being the newest Test member.
"Afghanistan are starting their Test journey, so they will be desperate to get a win. They will feel the conditions might help them, while it might be tougher for them in Australia, South Africa or England. They will be confident of springing us a surprise in the next couple of days," said Domingo.
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