Recognising limitations key for Tigers
After beating the Netherlands in their opening game of the ICC T20 World Cup in the Super 12 stage in Hobart on Sunday, an underperforming Bangladesh, with some psychological relief, will be more relaxed ahead of their second game against South Africa in Sydney tomorrow.
Bangladesh's morale was dented by a prolonged lean patch in the shortest format of the game, with the win against the Dutch being the nation's first win in the main round of the ICC T20 World Cup in 15 years.
According to prominent coach Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, the Tigers not having a false sense of confidence like they did in previous mega-events helped the team recognise their limitations, which may help Shakib Al Hasan and Co. in Australia.
Physical preparations did not go too well. But one good thing happened when compared to previous World Cups is that we realised our actual position. We know the difference between our counterparts and ourselves. And we know what to expect from them in the World Cup," Fahim said during The Daily Star's multimedia show Non Striker's End.
"We're not going there with any false sense of confidence. What happened last year was that we had won two home series against big teams and that injected the belief that they were the best players. But that doesn't happen in international sport. Nobody is going to give you a half-volley in an international match no matter how many times you practice that in training. So there's no point gaining confidence from that. Instead, if we get the picture of what can actually happen in the tournament, that will give the players better mindset ahead of the World Cup," he said.
Fahim informed that it was a good move from the team management to forgo their makeshift opening pair against the Netherlands and instead opt for Soumya Sarkar and Najmul Hossain, opining that it would be crucial for Bangladeshi batters to adapt to the bounce against a better South African bowling attack in Sydney.
However, Shakib's mentor also pointed out the need for five specialist bowlers in the playing eleven for the coming games, which was evident during the opening game against Netherlands.
"You never know, I think Mossaddek [Hossain] was included in the eleven, generally to bat at number eight, but everyone thought he was a bowler. But we didn't see the captain show that courage and give him the ball. He was given an over, but he didn't perform well.
"But it's not unexpected as he's not a regular bowler. You can't expect him to bowl like Shakib or [Mehedi Hasan] Miraz. In such circumstances, the captain searches for other bowlers. Thankfully, Soumya was there today but I think we were definitely a bowler short. We should have five proper bowlers in the team, and then if there's an extra bowler like Soumya, nothing beats that."