We’re not getting ahead of ourselves- McKenzie
|| CF Correspondent ||
Bangladesh batting consultant Neil McKenzie said that they are not getting complacent after earning their maiden win in multi-nation tournament.
Bangladesh broke their final jinx as they clinched the championship on their seventh attempt in last 10 years as they defeated West Indies by five wickets in the tri-nation final in Ireland.
Bangladesh is looking in a festive mood as they are preparing them in an intense training camp in at the Leicestershire County Cricket Club yesterday.
“We’re not getting ahead of ourselves,’’ McKenzie was quoted in a leading English newspaper Daily Star on Monday.
‘’We know that West Indies weren’t at full strength; the wickets will be really good and this World Cup, you will meet nine other top teams,’’ he said.
‘’But it’s a very nice, positive, encouraging start for our guys and a confidence booster.”
Batting consultant McKenzie added he is pleased as the players responded to the training session positively.
“I think the guys put in a good effort. I think you got to see what good preparation does for a team. I think the team gelled really well, even the guys who didn’t play made contributions,’’ said McKenzie, who has slowly but surely been lifting Bangladesh’s ODI batting since joining the team in summer 2018.
“I think they should just bring a lot of energy at game time. I think that’s one thing that we’ve really tried to put an emphasis on -- practising very competitively,’’ he said.
‘’So whether you have got the ball in your hand, the bat in your hand, you’re trying to stop runs, take wickets... and having a bit of fun, trying to celebrate our wickets,’’ he said.
‘’Even the coaches celebrate our wickets at practice. It is really hard on the guys in terms of fasting, it’s a special time for them, but the energy is not always up there, so it’s about the quality of practice and the competitive nature.”
McKenzie said that team management need to understand when to give less experience more exposure as they earned their triumph on the back of less experienced unit.
“I really like the way the less experienced guys stood up. Especially batting -- it’s a tough skill, you need to be backed, you need chances and you need a bit of luck. You look at his [Mosaddek’s] first-class record, he’s a quality player. There’s quite a few of those types of players in our setup. It’s a lot about opportunities and understanding. I think in Bangladesh there’s not too much understanding when there is a less experienced player. Its hard work at the international level, the more experienced players have had a longer chance at it. There is a lot of competition for places -- you need a little bit of luck and understanding, and you need a little bit of a run.
“It’s great to see a guy like Saikat doing so well. It was great to see Sabbir [Rahman] doing so well in New Zealand, getting his first hundred. Soumya [Sarkar] has been really good, Liton [Das] played a nice innings the other day. The whole squad, I can go on and on and on, and that is without bringing in our experienced guys in Shakib [Al Hasan], Tamim [Iqbal] and Mushfiqur [Rahim]. Everybody can gel as a team and we’ve got a really, really good unit and a good squad,’’ he concluded.
