Domingo frustrated with Bangladesh’s inability to cope pressure
Domingo thinks lack of competition and intensity in domestic cricket may be one reason why players are struggling in top level
Bangladesh’s head coach Russell Domingo said he is frustrated with his charges as they are showing inability to sustain the pressure in the crunch situations, although improving in other areas of the game.
Bangladesh have once again failed to keep the intensity in the vital time of a Test match as they are on brink of yet another defeat with Pakistan needing just 93 in the final day of their first Test match with all wickets intact.
Bangladesh took a vital lead of 44 runs in the first innings thanks to Taijul Islam’s brilliant seven-for but another failure of the top-order saw them crumble for just 157 in the second innings before the visitors reached 109/0 at stumps on day four at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.
“We just can’t seem to sustain for a longer period of time. It is very frustrating,” said Domingo after the end of the day’s play Monday.
“There’s definitely a shortage of sustained pressure absorption. We got ourselves in great position but we were just not able to seal the deal. I am sure the players are also very frustrated. We seem to be making improvement in the format but they have been just making silly mistakes at crucial stages like a catch going down, or playing a loose shot or bowling a bad spell,” added the South African.
Bangladesh also lost their last home series against the West Indies despite dominating large periods of the game.
The coach thinks lack of competition and intensity in domestic cricket may be one reason why players are struggling in the top level.
“I am not just frustrated with this particular Test. We should have won both Tests against the West Indies. They were 70 for three chasing nearly 400. We were chasing 220 against them; we were 70 for no wicket. We are just getting so close. I can see massive improvement, but we are not sustaining it for longer periods of time. Maybe the competition and intensity isn’t there for a long period of time in domestic cricket," said Domingo.
Domingo has also found the solution.
According to the former South Africa coach the Bangladeshi players must learn to take the responsibilities on their own rather than depending on others.
“I think we probably need to understand what to do when the moment is there. Somebody has to take that step in a high pressure environment. We cannot wait for someone else to do it. Because we have lost so many Tests in Bangladesh’s history, the belief and the confidence to actually grab the game by the scruff of the neck, isn’t quite there,” he said.
Nurul Hasan, the concussion substitute could not check the rush of his blood as he got out caught deep in the wicket trying a big shot when the team were getting into a good position and his wicket resulted in the ultimate demise of the innings and the match.
Despite initially not being eager to pinpoint an individual, Domingo eventually caved in.
“I am not going to criticize players in the media, but I thought we were getting some momentum. I thought we were ahead of the game. We were 196 ahead with four wickets in hand. Two batsmen were getting into a good position. We thought that if that partnership was to go for another 40-50 runs, we would have Pakistan under pressure. Then they would have had to bat for an hour before close of play," said Domingo.
“If you ask Sohan (Nurul Hasan) what he would do with that ball, he’d not play the same shot. He let himself and the team down with that shot, no doubt about that."
Nurul might have let the team down but the weakest point for the hosts was their top-order as they failed to produce any resistance to Pakistani pacers and looked out of sorts against quality attack at this level.
“It is a new experience for a lot of these young players. They are playing against a quality side. The expectations are high. Some of the shortcomings are definitely being exposed at the moment," he said.
Domingo believes the board must improve the Test culture and groom young players in tough conditions as that will also improve the white-ball game.
“I have always believed that if your Test team are good, your white-ball team will be good. Maybe white-ball cricket seems more important than Tests in Bangladesh. There’s some exciting young players coming through but they are long way off where they need to be as international batsmen and bowlers. The more cricket they play at the domestic level or A team tours, the better will be for the national side. Right now, the step up from domestic to international cricket is a massive step. It is something BCB needs to look at to make sure they impact the game and not take a long time to find their feet,” he concluded.
https://www.dhakatribune.com/sport/...-with-bangladesh-s-inability-to-cope-pressure
