Bangladesh cricket is not all about Mominul Haque, says Head Coach

Just hours after the 14-member Bangladesh squad was announced, head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe mentioned that fairness was maintained during the selection for the opening game of the upcoming two-match Test series against Australia. The omission of Mominul Haque from the opening game, the first time since his debut when he was left out of the squad, looked to be the highlight in the presser at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on August 19.

Although chief selector Minhajul Abedin tackled most of the bouncers bowled at the panel comprising of the selectors with Hathurusinghe and Habibul Bashar, the Sri Lankan did not get away as easily as he would have liked. On being asked about the responsibility he had as a coach for not being able to help Mominul who is often cited as Bangladesh’s best batsman in Test cricket, Hathurusinghe managed to come up with a solid defence.

Even though other big names like Mahmudullah Riyad and Kamrul Rabbi Islam were left out as well, the majority was upset about Mominul’exclusionon. He emphasized that players made the cut based on their current form and recent performances at the domestic level.

“As a coach, you have a responsibility, but the player also knows what he has to do. They are working very hard on it,” Hathurusinghe said. “Somebody is going to go out of the team when they are not performing. Those players not in the squad, they are still practicing. Confidence comes when we communicate with the player. There is no rule but fairness is applied for everybody,” he added.

“Bangladesh cricket is not all about Mominul,” he said. “Selection is done by consistency. Some of the guys were dropped for our last Test. I won’t mention name because the team is more important. Consistent selection gives a lot of confidence to players who perform. We have reason to make good calls because we have been consistent on selection,” the coach further stated.

What about second chances?

While Nasir Hossain and Shafiul Islam got their second chances with the call-up for the series against Australia, Hathurusinghe emphasized that players like Mahmudullah will have to wait for their chances. He also said that he did not have much of a choice after the replacement did his job quite well in the last Test against Sri Lanka.

“The guys who played in the last game after losing the first Test came back and did well. Although the other guys are doing well in limited-overs cricket, unfortunately they have to wait for their time,” he added.

“Good thing is we are in a rich vein of form in the last few series. Players who got dropped have to wait. Everyone is aware of where they stand: why they are in the team or dropped. They are working hard on what they have to do,” he concluded.