The Bangladesh Under-19 team recently won the tri-nation series in Zimbabwe before winning a bilateral series against South Africa. In an exclusive interview with ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ·â€™s Saifullah Bin Anowar, head coach Naveed Nawaz talked about the team’s recent performance, the process of finding the core squad, and the importance of gaining success. Here are the excerpts:
¶¶Òõ¾«Æ·: How happy are you with the team’s performance in South Africa and Zimbabwe?Ìý
Naveed Nawaz: It’s been good, and it also says something about our preparation. We have been preparing especially for the fast and bouncy wickets in South Africa since we knew this tour was on. It’s good to see that the players are responding well to our training. Zimbabwe was a bit challenging because the wickets were quite different from South Africa, as those seemed to be holding up and seaming a bit in the morning. The bounce was pretty low. I’m happy about how they performed, as it was good to see them adapting to those conditions and different demands of the game.Ìý
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NA: So, it will be a big help for the next World Cup, condition-wise?
Naveed: Of course. So far we have played in different conditions in Dubai, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Although our first-round games will be in Bulawayo, which I know is quite different from Harare, but can’t be a lot different. Overall, it was a good experience.Ìý
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NA: Have you found the core squad for the next World Cup?Ìý
Naveed: It’s difficult to say right now because we have to take into account things like injuries. I always like to work with a larger squad, which allows players to develop within these two years, and that’s the whole idea of having an under-19 squad. Because it’s not only about the 15 players who are going for the World Cup. It’s also about the other players, depending on their development speed. Some may be developed later; some are quick in their development.Ìý
ÌýIt’s important that we work with at least a group of 25 boys because our main objective is to produce players through the pipeline who can play international cricket for Bangladesh one day.Ìý
So, in that context, we have been trying to finalise a squad for the World Cup. Like, you can see the squads were different in the last couple of series. It’s evident that we are trying out players and will probably keep trying till the last three months. Hopefully, that will give us good feedback on the squad, depending on the combination we like to carry during the World Cup.Ìý
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NA: How important is it to gain success at this level?Ìý
Naveed: I believe that gaining success as a team enhances the confidence of the players, and it is something very important in cricket. It depends on how confident you are about yourself and about the skills that you put forward in a game. I think it is also a part of development, which tells the board, the coaches, the managers, and the selectors that whatever we are doing is right or wrong. In that regard I think gaining success is important, but it’s not the only thing.Ìý
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NA: You have played more matches than any other team since the last World Cup. Do you think that it’s important to play more matches?
Naveed: Yeah, I’m a firm believer that the game of cricket is learnt in the middle, not in the head. Therefore, we try to give our players the opportunity to face different types of problems in the middle so that they can keep finding solutions and keep making mistakes. We have created an environment in which the players feel safe to make mistakes, that they are not victimised or punished. Because we know very well that it’s the mistakes of your early part of life that shape you into a better cricketer.Ìý
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NA: What areas do you think need improvement with the squad?
Naveed: I think there is a lot of improvement needed in terms of all three departments at times, and spin bowling especially. We are dealing with it now, and we are trying to do different things to try and fix the challenges that we face. Cricket is not a perfect game; it’s flawed. There will be mistakes all the time, and you will always feel there is some area to work on. It’s a continuous journey.
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NA: How confident are you to replicate the 2020 success with this group?Ìý
Naveed: To be very honest with you, we are not even thinking about it. The main idea is to try and build capacity in our players as much as possible. Sometimes we will over train to make them more resilient. I firmly believe that building capabilities and having answers to many issues that we face in the middle is the ideal way to win a tournament. We have got to make sure that the players understand their roles and they are capable and equipped to play their roles to the best of their ability. If we can do that well, I think the chances of winning in any conditions would be higher.
