‘It’s tactics, not technique’
It is always a tough ask for any touring team from the Indian subcontinent to adjust to the kind of chilly weather which is prevalent in Ireland. Therefore, it would not be farfetched for Bangladesh to blame the cold for the batting debacle which saw the Tigers suffer an 88-run thumping at the hands of Ireland Wolves in a practice match on Sunday, ahead of their ODI tri-series opener against West Indies in Dublin today.
However, following the defeat Bangladesh batting coach Neil Mckenzie insisted that the chilly weather in Ireland was not to blame but instead it was the unfamiliar surface they were made to play on.
“We have obviously come back from New Zealand, but it wasn’t as cold there, the experienced guys know whatever it takes to play in different conditions so I don’t think it’s the cold, it’s mainly the surfaces,” McKenzie told reporters after the match. “Your lines change, lengths change and also your scoring opportunities change. It’s not the weather it’s more the surface, the pitch condition and the various type of bowlers you will be facing.”
With Bangladesh set to play in the ICC Cricket World Cup in the United Kingdom following the tri-series, which was intended to be a part of their preparations, McKenzie mentioned that it is not the technical aspects but rather the tactical ones that the team need to fine tune ahead of the quadrennial mega event.
“They all sort of back their own abilities, you know the wickets in England aren’t as quick in comparison to South Africa and Australia. So I don’t think it’s the technical side that we have to worry about. When bowling in England tactical aspects like bowling slower bouncers, there is a bit of grip so they [batsmen] try to hit it square of the wicket. Note that when you play in England, you have to use different scoring areas unlike in Bangladesh where we can just throw our hand to the ball to get it slightly on the leg-side while in England you [the batsmen] try to get to the pitch of the ball, try to get on top of it, try to hit it as late as possible. There are the different technical aspects that we touched on,” said the batting coach.
Moreover, McKenzie emphasised that while the team management will be there to support the Tigers any way they can, the onus will be on the players to understand the conditions in England and formulate their own tactics.
“Steve Rhodes [Bangladesh head coach] is from England and he knows the conditions there really well, he knows the county pitches and conditions as well, Courtney Walsh played in England for many years, I played in England for five years so we will try to access the different wickets and conditions and plan accordingly,” McKenzie said. “We will try to prepare the guys as best we know how and give them what we think is the best formula but they will have to figure things out as well. We just came from New Zealand we have the tri series and some of the warm up games to prepare ourselves, so we will prepare our best in the next three weeks and I am sure we will be fine.”