'Angry, nasty, but in control'
There were high hopes of Bangladesh's fast bowlers since the arrivals of Al-Amin Hossain and Taskin Ahmed in 2014 and the emergence of Mustafziur Rahman, who took the world by storm in mid-2015. Three years on, only Mustafizur apart has to lived up to the initial hype.
With the inclusion of yet another set of fresh faces in Abu Jayed, Abu Hider, Mohammad Saifuddin and Khaled Ahmed (the most recent addition), Bangladesh's bowling coach and West Indies pace legend Courtney Walsh is optimistic about the pace department's prospects.
"These guys are showing improvements; it's interesting times. It's good to have new faces at times and they are working very hard. Jayed is looking good and it's good to have Khaled as he has some pace and is working on consistency," Walsh told The Daily Star yesterday after the training session at the Sylhet International Stadium.
Bangladesh does not have a tradition of producing fast bowlers on a consistent basis. According to Walsh, becoming a fast bowler requires strength.
"It requires a strong person and good skills and I think it also requires good playing surfaces... that is what has hampered Bangladesh in the past. They have never had a lot of fast bowlers; they had one or two because of the nature of the surface -- the guys do not enjoy bowling. But now we have instructed to make the pitch bowling-friendly to encourage fast bowling . At the same time, [we will use] ODI performances along with [performances in] the domestic circuit to spot talent and make recommendations.
"It is not just Bangladesh alone; it's all over the world and kids are not encouraged to bowl fast. I must compliment the Bangladesh Cricket Board for what they have done in the National Cricket League. I saw Subhasish Roy bowl 33 overs in a game. That was not the case in the past," he said.
When asked what a 25-year-old Walsh would do in such conditions, he said: "I would used variations but I can say that now because of my experience. But it's just the consistency, hitting areas consistently, using variations and also banking on reverse swing if it's there. It's important to keep thinking how to get the batsman out and if I were a 25-year-old I would bowl fast and try to intimidate the batsman."
When asked when fast bowlers can be expected to win matches regularly for Bangladesh, Walsh said that the more matches they play, the earlier Bangladesh's over-reliance on spinners will end.
Known as one of the most aggressive fast bowlers in cricket history, Walsh is also working on that aspect with his charges.
"Aggressive attitude means don't smile at the batsman as you might not need to say anything -- just give them the stare. Just see the batsman from the viewpoint of getting him out and you can be friendly with them after. I am working with a few about this and trying to get Khaled to be like that, and Fizz [Mustafizur] can be like that when he is angry and nasty. You can get the best out of a fast bowler with controlled aggression, where you don't lose it and get angry and nasty; rather be angry and nasty in control."
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