‘We need to find a belief’

Allan Donald, nicknamed the White Lightning during his playing days, will guide the Bangladesh pacers in the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia. Before the South African joined the team in New Zealand, The Business Post’s Shams Rahman caught up with him for a chat, where he spoke about Mustafizur Rahman and Bangladesh’s chances at the World Cup. Here is the second of the two-part interview

Mustafizur Rahman has been out of sorts in recent times. Do you think it has something to do with his ability, or is it just a phase?

I don’t think he needs to change anything, it’s just a bit of a phase. Everyone who watches Mustafiz and has seen him execute at the end, they all know what they are going to get. That’s why the IPL franchises want people like Mustafiz. Because he is so good.

Sometimes when you go through a phase where you just don’t get it right, you don’t quite have the trust. It’s nothing to do with his ability, it may be just a little bit about a lack of confidence. When you have that bit of a lack of confidence, you revert to other things rather than your best ball at the death, which is the yorker. And he nails those yorkers so beautifully. And his changes of paces are so well disguised.

I have every bit of trust in Mustafizur. I think he is a wonderful bowler. And I know he has been working hard. I have been in contact with him. I don’t think we should all panic and go, ‘oh well, he has lost his ability’. It’s nothing technically. It’s just a little bit of a phase. It’s for him to now work doubly hard to gain back that confidence.

Shakib Al Hasan has been appointed the Bangladesh captain in recent months. How has the experience of working with him been?

He’s just a guy that you know is his own coach. When you walk into a dressing room and see Shakib, you know this guy knows his cricket inside out. He has got a lot of respect from the players, from the coaches. He is a very good captain, he’s great to listen to. All-in-all, he is an experienced campaigner and a fantastic all-rounder. He is a brilliant cricketer, there’s no doubt. He leads the team well, and he is nice and calm on the field.

I like his way. He asks the coaches what our thoughts are, and who we think should play. Just sourcing from us about our feelings regarding the bowling attack before a particular match. I have got a lot of respect for him. And there’s no doubt that he will lead Bangladesh very well in the T20 World Cup.

When you came to Bangladesh, Russell Domingo was the head coach of the team. Now, Sridharan Sriram is managing the T20 side. Are things different? How has working with Sriram been?

I know Sriram since Australia. I worked with Australia for 70-odd days in Sri Lanka. I became very good friends with Sriram there. He has been very structured. He has worked really, really hard with this group.

I am not going to label coaches. They have got their own way, their own style. I’m definitely not going to start saying that this one is that, this one is this. He is just a nice, calm individual. He is very structured and organised. And so is Russell. Both of them are incredibly organised.

Sriram has connected well with the group and looking forward to seeing him next week. I have been talking with him a lot over the phone in the last few days after my flight to New Zealand was cancelled. I have enjoyed him and looking forward to catching up with him.

What are your expectations with Bangladesh in this World Cup?

Look, the game is too fickle. T20 cricket is so unpredictable. Yes, you will have your number ones and favourites to win. But in my opinion, everyone is a favourite to win the World Cup. It can be Namibia, it can be Ireland. You just need a foot in the door, that’s all you need to get something to work with.

My opinion (regarding Bangladesh) is that all you need is a foot in the door and gain some confidence. The ability to build a belief starts with a start. So, we need to start well in this World Cup and build from there. Because it’s like I said earlier that death bowling is ball-by-ball. We are focusing on game-by-game. Number one is, we need to find a belief and that’s our first game. We play our first game against a qualifier in Hobart, and that’s where we need to start. And then, we can start focusing on the next step. So, small steps.

For me to say we have a great chance at winning the World Cup? I won’t even go there. Most coaches think exactly the same thing because they know how unpredictable this format is. India can go into the World Cup and everyone will say they are the favourites. Or Pakistan, or whomever it might be. I’m just thinking about how we can find a way to build some belief within our group, and that starts in Hobart with our first game.