‘Players need to believe they are the main players’

Bangladesh's bitter defeat to the UAE, an associate nation, has opened up a Pandora's box on what will befall the national team and which cricketers can carry the baton in the near future. As much as results are expected, a team in transition cannot always deliver. However, an improvement curve needs to be seen, otherwise Bangladesh cricket risks falling into a loop of demoralising failures.

With many seniors already out of the national setup, realisation has come through that the current crop will have to take the responsibility of taking the team forward. Parvez Hossain Emon's century in the first match was perhaps the only impactful performance in the recent UAE series.

What can Bangladesh cricket do to help build the future from here? Hannan Sarkar, the Abahani head coach who has worked with Emon this DPL, feels that talent is there in players such as Emon.

"Emon always had that power-hitting ability, even when he was in U-15s. You have to develop your power-hitting ability with time and in the last three years, he played well in the DPL and knows the process of how to score his runs and that's why his confidence grew. For a player to become consistent, first they have to understand the process of how to score. Many players know how to score runs but only against weak opponents. Since Emon has been scoring runs in domestic cricket, now he has to look to develop against international teams and quality bowlers," Hannan told The Daily Star.

International cricket has changed over the last two decades. When the likes of Shakib Al Hasan or Tamim Iqbal were coming through, expectations were different. But more is expected now as Bangladesh as a team and players who are coming through. That means patience is important in building a side, and most crucially, keeping the players motivated.

"You have to make the players trust the fact that they are the main players and give them that confidence. You can't allow them to play with fear and uncertainty. This crop is only now feeling that they are the main players. You see that they are the future, so ultimately U-19 days are past them and with time they will have to get into the flow of taking that responsibility. International cricket isn't easy and they need time as well," the former Bangladesh opener explained.

The batch which featured Tamim, Mushfiqur Rahim or Shakib Al Hasan had mentors and coaches that had built them up in a batch together. For Hannan, the team management has to take the responsibility so that players keep growing.

"Those that are with the team such as (Mohammad) Salahuddin bhai, knows about their [players'] mentality and psychology. It's a positive thing and Salahuddin bhai is more experienced now. Players are expected to do more now and his feedback would be very important," Hannan feels.

For players like Emon, confidence can go a long way to becoming a settled player in the eleven. The Pakistan series would be tough but there will also be an opportunity to learn what areas to improve upon.

"He has good confidence and he is on the right track. Of course he can fail but the way he is playing, especially since I have seen him play for Abahani, I feel he will continue," the former national selector hoped.