‘I felt Hathurusingha wanted to do a bit of dictatorship’

In Bangladesh cricket, team director appears to be a role only required in away series or major tournaments. Thus, Khaled Mahmud is now a former team director. He saw how the team fared in last year's ODI World Cup. The former national team captain in an exclusive interview with The Daily Star's Abdullah Al Mehdi, talked about recent controversy regarding things said in the World Cup probe report, his own role and about head coach Chandika Hathurusingha. Here are the excerpts:

The Daily Star (DS): Your assessment on performing the role of team director at the World Cup?

Khaled Mahmud (KM): I don't really know what my role is. Staying with the team in a parental role is something that used to happen in Bangladesh team earlier. I feel Bangladesh does not need a figure like that. Players are very disciplined and know about themselves. Maybe the board still feels that a father figure is required but not me. I am not for that role. An investigation report revealed that two directors intervened. I don't know what it means. Maybe many players have complained that when they [these two directors] are in the dressing room they don't feel comfortable. I also want to know which players said it since I don't think I have bossed around in any place.

DS: You are a senior figure in Bangladesh cricket….

KM: As a former cricketer, I am a lot senior to the players. I was so friendly with them. If me being there caused problems in the dressing room, I feel that that particular player has a problem. Maybe something in my behaviour felt bad to them, but as far as I know, I didn't do something that will hurt a player. Even in the last two World Cups, my role was very limited. I had nothing to do except for watching the games.

DS: Reports in media suggested a member of investigation committee said that two directors were mentioned in the investigation report. It could be you and Jalal Yunus [cricket operations chairman]. What do you feel?

KM: If you consider everything then it is supposed to be me and Jalal bhai. I was the team director for the whole tour and Jalal bhai was in many matches. No other directors were with the team so frequently. I don't have any comments. [Nazmul Hassan] Papon bhai cleared the air considerably saying it's a fake report and there was no mention of our names.

DS: What value did the World Cup probe report create for Bangladesh?

KM: Could be [of value], there is nothing to suggest otherwise. I don't know since I didn't read the whole report but there could be findings which would help Bangladesh cricket in future.

DS: We had a strong team for the ODI World Cup. What went wrong?

KM: I am not pleased even though we won two matches. The brand of cricket we were playing was not what I felt [we should have done at World Cup]. We could not recover from the Netherlands defeat. I feel that after a World Cup has ended, instead of doing too much analysis, we should focus on future with Sri Lanka series going on and there is a World Cup ahead in T20 format. If we focus on old things, it will only create a bad smell.

DS: There have been talks about head coach Chandika Hathurusingha at the World Cup. What did you see?

KM: I feel Hathu is one of the best coaches I have seen. From planning or sincerity, his focus and determination to work -- I feel he was always a coach and 24/7, he is a coach. But yes, previously [previous term] when I saw him, I felt he was a bit hot-headed. After this World Cup, I felt he wanted to do a little bit of dictatorship, leading things.

I feel that when you are a head coach, you will have to shelter everyone. When you become a big umbrella, you have to fit in everyone under your shelter. If you don't do it, it's a problem. I feel that he needs to maintain his man management better. I could be mistaken, but that's what I feel. As a coach, he is a very good coach for us.

That's my feeling and personally what he says to others, I can't say. What I have seen before, and in this term less than before, but in this term, there was a bit of dictatorship.