CHATOGRAM: Bangladesh speed bowling coach Allan Donald credited Sridharan Sriram and Shrinivas Chandrasekaran for helping their struggling pacemaker Mustafizur Rahman recover his lost stinger and play a key role in their ODI series victory over India.
The Indian duo of Sriram and Shrinivas, currently the Bangladesh T20 coach and performance analyst respectively, worked with the point guard to identify his mistakes.
“Sriram and Shrinivas noticed that at the point of clearance of his slower ball, his palm was facing the batter,” Donald told ESPNCricinfo on the sidelines of the opening test which India won by 188 runs.
“He needed to be more lateral so the palm was facing away from his exit point. He threw a lot of passes to get that ball out softer and with a bit more bite. He worked very hard on nailing the yorkers.
The 27-year-old, who is Bangladesh’s most experienced rhythm drummer, was under pressure to deliver.
“He’s a class player. When we needed a guy to take on a world class player in Rohit Sharma, Fizz came to the party and produced a great yorker to win the series for us. Love it working with him. Mustafiz has been around the world. You write him off at your own risk. I know how hard he is working right now.
Having joined the team in March, Donald has overseen an increase in the pace of bowling in Bangladesh, having relied on spinners for years. They started to turn things around with Courtney Walsh at the helm, followed by Ottis Gibson.
The South African great went from there as Bangladesh bowlers reached 167 wickets for the year, their best in any format in a calendar year in over two decades of playing international cricket .
Ebadot Hossain’s six-wicket run paved the way for their historic Test victory at Mount Maunganui, as they won an ODI series in South Africa where Taskin Ahmed was named player of the series.
“I coach the state of mind. I can be technical if I want, but at this level you can have the best plans in the world, but you have to have the desire and the bastard in your stomach, you won’t pass anyone .
“I think slowly but surely we’re starting to see that grow in this group. It excites me,” the 56-year-old said.
Calling the growth significant, Donald said: “I’ve taken the fear of making mistakes factor out…I say it almost every day: don’t worry about what I think sitting in the stands.
“I’ve been there. I’ve known your heartaches and your mistakes. It’s totally normal to make mistakes, as long as we give it a 100% chance. It doesn’t matter if you go for six. ”
Changing the “conservative approach” was key, he said.
The second and final test against India starts in Mirpur from Thursday.
The Indian duo of Sriram and Shrinivas, currently the Bangladesh T20 coach and performance analyst respectively, worked with the point guard to identify his mistakes.
“Sriram and Shrinivas noticed that at the point of clearance of his slower ball, his palm was facing the batter,” Donald told ESPNCricinfo on the sidelines of the opening test which India won by 188 runs.
“He needed to be more lateral so the palm was facing away from his exit point. He threw a lot of passes to get that ball out softer and with a bit more bite. He worked very hard on nailing the yorkers.
The 27-year-old, who is Bangladesh’s most experienced rhythm drummer, was under pressure to deliver.
“He’s a class player. When we needed a guy to take on a world class player in Rohit Sharma, Fizz came to the party and produced a great yorker to win the series for us. Love it working with him. Mustafiz has been around the world. You write him off at your own risk. I know how hard he is working right now.
Having joined the team in March, Donald has overseen an increase in the pace of bowling in Bangladesh, having relied on spinners for years. They started to turn things around with Courtney Walsh at the helm, followed by Ottis Gibson.
The South African great went from there as Bangladesh bowlers reached 167 wickets for the year, their best in any format in a calendar year in over two decades of playing international cricket .
Ebadot Hossain’s six-wicket run paved the way for their historic Test victory at Mount Maunganui, as they won an ODI series in South Africa where Taskin Ahmed was named player of the series.
“I coach the state of mind. I can be technical if I want, but at this level you can have the best plans in the world, but you have to have the desire and the bastard in your stomach, you won’t pass anyone .
“I think slowly but surely we’re starting to see that grow in this group. It excites me,” the 56-year-old said.
Calling the growth significant, Donald said: “I’ve taken the fear of making mistakes factor out…I say it almost every day: don’t worry about what I think sitting in the stands.
“I’ve been there. I’ve known your heartaches and your mistakes. It’s totally normal to make mistakes, as long as we give it a 100% chance. It doesn’t matter if you go for six. ”
Changing the “conservative approach” was key, he said.
The second and final test against India starts in Mirpur from Thursday.
