Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha believes their “mindset” proved to be the main difference when they last faced Zimbabwe at home. The Tigers were in a horrific state when they took on Zimbabwe last November but that particular series turned out to be the dawn of a new era.
The hosts whitewashed Zimbabwe in both the Test and ODI series and since then, Bangladesh has been flying high, courtesy some scintillating wins against the likes of India, Pakistan and South Africa.
Compared to the last time the Zimbabweans toured Bangladesh, the Tigers are in a better frame of mind right now but Hathurusingha said they will guard against complacency when the two teams lock horns with each other in the first of three ODIs this Saturday at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
“The mindset is the main difference to last time. We were not sure of our ceiling (in the last Zimbabwe series). Now they have started to believe and they have proved themselves. Mindset is a huge thing in this game. We can see that it is different in our performance,” Hathurusingha informed the media in Mirpur yesterday.
“There’s no complacency in our team. They are playing for the national team. No one is taking things for granted. There’s a lot of competition for the places. Whoever is taking things lightly, it will be a very dangerous situation,” he said.
Individual performances have been the key to Bangladesh’s series of successes in the recent past. The senior members of the side stepped up more often than not when the going got tough and were well complemented by the youngsters.
As a result, competition for places started heating up and according to Hathurusingha, it can only be a good thing.
“Having an internal competition is a good thing. Players know they have to perform. Sportsmen are driven by challenges. The guys coming in are capable of doing a job. We are in a good situation in that regard,” explained the former Sri Lankan cricketer.
Ahead of the upcoming Zimbabwe series, ace Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib al Hasan quipped that they are strong favourites for both the Test and ODI series. When queried if Shakib sounded over-confident with his statement, Hathurusingha said, “It is a good mindset to have as a player I believe. That is his confidence. We played dominating cricket against every team in the last three series. We beat them by seven or eight wickets or 80-odd runs. I think it is the way we play. If we play to our game-plan, we can beat any team with a big margin.”