Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan on Saturday summoned the members of the technical committee to discuss the problems of national cricket team following their series of defeats against South Africa. The BCB formed the technical committee in January comprising six former national cricketers Jahangir Shah, Athar Ali Khan, ASM Faruque, Ishtiaque Ahmed, Mainul Haque and Shafiqul Haque.
But their services were not required until Saturday when the BCB appeared panic-stricken in the wake of national cricket team’s poor form against South Africa in the two Twenty20 internationals and in the first one-day international.
Nazmul also called upon the national players at his office and held separate meetings with coach Chandika Hathurusinghe and captain Mashrafee bin Murtaza before the team’s training session.
‘We were not even able to put up a fight against South Africa. This was what I wanted to know from the technical committee, why we are not being able to do this,’ Nazmul told reporters after the meetings.
‘They more or less agreed what I thought about the team. They said the team is playing good cricket and they could turn the things around. They recommended some changes in some places which I conveyed to the coach, selectors, captain and the manager,’ he said.
Nazmul added that the technical committee mostly recommended two changes in the team and gave him their observation about certain things.
‘I spoke to all the members regarding the team combination for the second match as it is a do-or-die battle for us,’ said Nazmul.
‘We’ve already finalised the team combination. More or less 10 members are sure while we are not sure about one member, who is a bowler.’
Shafiqul Haque, a member of the technical committee, said they recommended of bringing up changes in three places — Rubel Hossain in place of Sabbir Rahman, Arafat Sunny for Jubair Hossain and Anamul Haque for Liton Das.
Nazmul also revealed the subject of his discussions with the players.
‘Basically I wanted to meet them at hotel but since they were here for practice, I decided to meet them on the ground,’ said Nazmul.
The reason was to motivate the players ahead of the second match and to find out the reasons why they were losing the track from the matches after being in a considerable position.
‘The players said that the South Africans are a very professional unlike from India and Pakistan. But it’s not that we can’t beat them’, said Nazmul.
‘Our bowling was up to mark, so even the South African batsmen had to pay a due respect. It’s not that their batsmen took our bowlers in utter derision, so there is no reason to be worried of.
‘Their professionalism is evidenced in their strategy. They studied our bowlers and batsmen very well and stuck to the basics.
‘Our batsmen told me that they hardly got any loose deliveries in the three matches they played. It means they knew well about our weakness.
‘What went against us was our batting. I even asked Mushfiq why he played such shots when there was a partnership in the making. That was a cordial discussion,’ said Nazmul.
-With New Age input
