Just focus on the cricket: Domingo out to bring calm to Bangladesh's dressing room
Bangladesh head coach Russell Domingo said that his team was focusing on cricket rather than losing its sleep over criticism from the outside as they continue their T20 World Cup journey into the Super 12 phase.
Despite an opening day defeat to Scotland, Bangladesh qualified out of the preliminary round, an event that has been overshadowed by the ongoing tussle between BCB president Nazmul Hasan and the team's captain Mahmudullah, who decided to take a swipe at Hasan after the board president's sweeping comments following the loss to Scotland.
Mahmudullah hit out at criticism stating that it was not right to question the players' commitment while Hasan denied he question player commitment but remained steadfast in his stance that the team's approach in the defeat was indeed questionable.
In need of some calm ahead of the Super 12s, Domingo said he and his support staff are working to make sure the players were not affected by all the outside noise.
"I am just here to focus on the cricket. I can't be too concerned what gets said outside of the team. My focus is to prepare the team well mentally and physically for tomorrow,'' Domingo told reporters.
"When you are playing for Bangladesh, there's always going to be criticism when things don't go well. It is part of international sport. A big part of coaching is for the team to focus on what they can control. There's nothing we can do about what people are writing and saying.
''We can focus on our performances, we can evaluate our performances. Areas we feel we need to improve on. As soon as we worry about those types of things, it takes your focus away from what we need to focus on. We have talked long and hard on what we need to focus on and its cricket," he added.
Turning his attention to the game against Sri Lanka, Domingo said he was aware of what their first Super 12 opposition brought to the table given the recency of their meetings.
"I think we have played against Sri Lanka a bit over the last couple of months. We have had some good contests against them in ODIs and Tests. We have played against Hasaranga quite a bit over the last couple of months and we know what he is capable of," he said.
Domingo also said that the wicket at Sharjah, mirroring those used recently in Dhaka, was an encouragement ahead of the encounter.
''These type of conditions can suit us. Sharjah is similar to the wickets in Dhaka. Hopefully that can assist us in tomorrow's game. These type of conditions can suit us. Sharjah is similar to the wickets in Dhaka. Hopefully that can assist us in tomorrow's game.
"The scores have come down considerably since the new wickets have been laid. Tall bowlers who hit the wicket have always been in the game. I came here with South Africa with years ago. I remember Morne Morkel was very effective, the sort of hard length that he bowled. The ball skids through.
"If you bowl wicket to wicket, spin has opportunity here. We are not known as a power-hitting side so the (shorter boundary) could favour us. We are also happy with the 2pm starts. It suits us big time. It takes dew out of the equation. I think our spinners will come very much into the competition. We know a lot of the other teams are focused on the dew,'' he said.
'Mahedi, a three-in-one cricketer'
The Bangladesh had special words of praise for Mahedi Hasan, the off-spinning all-rounder also used as a floater in the batting line-up.
"I am a big fan of Mahedi. I think the most important thing is his character. He is always up to fulfil any role in the team. It is not easy batting up the order, down the order. He never complains. He is focused on what the team needs. He is versatile with the ball - he can bowl in the middle, at the death and up front.
"He is definitely a three-in-one cricketer for us. The big thing about his preparation is that he is happy to be doing any role. He sees them as a big challenge, and takes them on 100 per cent. I am happy with how his campaign has gone so far,'' he concluded.
Source: www.cricbuzz.com
