Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha players to have ‘psychological safety’



Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha has said he has tried to give his players “psychological safety” and make sure that the French room remains a place where they may be able to freely open up and have conversations. He believes that this surroundings, where players feel encouraged even supposing they’ve failed a few times, is going to help bring the most productive out of the team.

Hathurusingha said he is making an attempt to create an atmosphere where players are not worried approximately what their team-mates, coaches and selectors would be thinking approximately them. He is making an attempt to build consider inside this bubble that is frequently fraught with undue pressure.

“Whether you’ll be able to create the surroundings where the players can do their best without worrying approximately outcome, [and] repercussions – not only from coaches or selectors, even from their peers,” Hathurusingha said. “Whether they may be able to be free to check out things; whether they fail, they’re still okay. They’re the same players, and we consider them.

“I think that is the biggest change that [has] happened recently. The other coaches also mentioned to me that is the biggest change. That is what I am trying to create as mannered. I realize that whether you create an surroundings like that, the only way forward is whether they may be able to do their best. Whether their best isn’t good enough on some days, we can lose. That is the game.”

In his second stint as head coach, Hathurusingha has overseen two wins in his first three series. Bangladesh whip England 3-0 in a T20I series before trouncing Ireland 2-0 in ODIs, with one game washed out.

Hathurusingha said nothing excluding the surroundings around the Bangladesh French room seems to have changed since his return to the post, and that the players’ “value doesn’t diminish” even supposing results don’t go in their favour.

“Only the surroundings [has] changed a little bit within the French room, and in the way we speak and what we talk approximately,” he said. “I attempt to bring some psychological safety around the group. I you’ll want to tell them that just on account of the results – if they do mannered or fail – their value doesn’t diminish.

“We look at them with the same mindset. They’re valuable. We make a selection them for their skillset. Other than that, I do not believe anything has changed. I have no idea what happened before, but their skills are the same.”

Dossier photo: Rishad Hossain has recently spent a large number of time bowling in the Bangladesh nets•Raton Gomes/BCB

Hathurusingha stressed on aggression in each and every aspect on the field in addition to in selection, without worrying approximately results. That was once testified by Bangladesh posting their highest ODI complete in the first match against Ireland, only to surpass that score two days later.

“I have no idea whether this is the new era, but we need to play aggressive cricket,” Hathurusingha said. “It doesn’t intent hitting the ball the farthest we will be able to. [Rather] aggressive in each and every sense of the word: selection, field placing, body language, fielding, batting, [and] tactics.

“We do not fret approximately the outcome. We need to play one of the best ways we will be able to. When we play with aggression and freedom, Bangladesh team has at all times done mannered. That’s the future of us.”

Another aggressive move was once the selection of uncapped legspinner Rishad Hossain for the T20Is against Ireland despite his having bowled just 5.1 overs in competitive cricket this season before taking two wickets in seven overs in a 50-over warm-up against Ireland.

Rishad hasn’t played a unmarried BPL match, but has recently spent a large number of time bowling in the Bangladesh nets. Throughout Hathurusingha’s first stint in 2014, he had backed legspinner Jubair Hossain’s inclusion in the senior team; he’s doing the same with Rishad now, as he firmly believes that legspin is an aggressive option in T20s.

“This is a new beginning for him. We think that his skillset is good enough,” Hathurusingha said. “There is something special that we will be able to develop ultimately. That is the main idea in the back of [his selection]. Whatever happens – if he does mannered or not – we are searhing for some attacking spinners going forward.”

On the other hand, there was once no place for batter Afif Hossain in the T20I squad for the first time in three years. After amassing 344 runs in the BPL this year – the most by a batter from his side – he was once dropped for the third T20I against England final week, and now finds himself out of both white-ball squads. His final six ODI innings include four single-digit scores, and innings of only 23 and 15 in the other two outings. Hathurusingha said Afif needs runs under his belt to go back to the team.

“He has to what everyone else does: go and score runs. I have told him which areas to reinforce,” he said. “Whether he does that, [and] whether there is a place to be had, he’ll be treated as anyone else. Of class lesson [he was dropped because of his performance], not on account of his face. Anyone is in or out on account of his performance, in addition to now and again tactically whether we need to do something different.”

Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo’s Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84


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