Bangladesh will avoid being desperate, and rather stick to the basics to recover from the recent streak of defeats as they take on Sri Lanka in the first match of the three-ODI series at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium Sunday.
Bangladesh have lost their last 10 matches – four Tests, three ODIs and as many T20s.
The series being played at home and with a full-strength squad, hosts Bangladesh will first aim to get to a strong position in order to try things, said Bangladesh head coach Russell Domingo.
“We want to get the basics right as a team. If we can do that, we can get in a position when we can try one or two things. We haven’t done that in the last couple of games. We did play well against the West Indies at home. With the team’s confidence level being down, there’s no need to get fancy and complicate things,” said Domingo to the media at a virtual press conference Saturday.
The below-par performance of the team against the Windies, New Zealand and in two away Test matches against Sri Lanka has seen Bangladesh face heavy criticism both from the decision-makers of Bangladesh Cricket Board and the cricketing fraternity in general.
There has been profound scrutiny on the impact that Domingo and his current set of coaching staffs have had on the team.
Reports were at large of the former South Africa cricketer counting his last days in the Bangladesh job which however, is unlikely due to the World T20I being just a few months away.
“As a coach I think it is important that you stick to your principles, beliefs and try to do the right thing. I'm trying to do to the best of my ability. In terms of players in international cricket, there’s always pressure – media scrutiny, personal pressure, from family, friends and peers. It is easy to say go out there and play, but it is not schoolboy cricket," explained Domingo when queried of the extra burden that he and his team are now facing owing to the recent poor performance.
"Players are very serious when they are representing their country. As coaches you try to take that pressure away from the players. Prepare them well. Make sure their minds are clear.
“We have gone through a lean period of results. But we have to learn from the mistakes from the last couple of months. There’s no point focusing on the past. We have to look forward. If we play to our potential in (Sunday's) game, we can give ourselves a chance of winning. We can’t always control the result but we can control the way we prepare, our mindset and thinking."
