Bangladesh chief coach Chandika Hathurusingha, who has had the experience of coaching at the Australian domestic set-up, remarked the Tigers are ready to tackle mighty Australia in a two-match Test series which is scheduled from August 27 in Dhaka after the go-ahead following pay-deal agreement which has further paved a way for the forthcoming series in the subcontinent.
Between 2011 and 2014, the 48-year-old former Sri Lankan cricketer Hathurusingha has had worked with Australian domestic side New South Wales (NSW) as an assistant coach and interim coach for a period of one year while adding his stint would help his side to understand the approach and psyche of the players
“If you work with some of the team and some of the players long enough you get to know them. That’s the advantage,” Hathurusingha was quoted as saying by Fox Sports.
Interestingly, as Bangladesh has shown the improvement in the gentleman’s game in the recent past many years, Hathurusingha believes he knows the nitty-gritty of the game, owing to the mentality and further revealed he is aware of Australia about their strength and weakness and they would be aiming to cash in on the opportunity at their backyard.
“What you get from working with them is knowing their psyche, their mentality and how they approach the game. What makes them tick and what irritates them,” Hathurusingha added.
However, while looking at the squad and the combination, the hosts aren’t that strong on the paper but have the capability to get under the skin of Australian players, as the insights of the coach could prove helpful for the Mushfiqur Rahim-led team.
Banking on the insider knowledge, Hathurusinhgha has also coached Sydney Thunder for a season and has stated on has to execute the plan in order to push for a result.
“In the end it’s whether or not you have the ammunition or skill set to exploit what you know from that information,” Hathurusingha further added.
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However, the Tigers coach didn’t boast about stopping the visitors completely while adding the information is available on the go including a technique of a cricketer, as he has further expressed a satisfaction over the practice sessions in the conditional camp held in Chittagong.
“Whether you are involved with them personally, nowadays there’s so much information available,” Hathurusingha asserted.
Hathurusingha has worked alongside current Australian skipper Steven Smith including Vice-captain and swashbuckling batsman David Warner.
The other three, who had worked under the guidance of Hathurusingha were fast bowling duo Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood alongside experienced off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Hathurusingha reiterated it won’t be an easy task for the home side, but hard to figure out what actually could make things tougher for a quality side like Australia, as he further feels the constructive discussion could reap a reward for the hosts if applied well.
“It’s very hard to pinpoint just what is going to unsettle them. But at least you can discuss Australia’s approach with the team,” Hathurusingha concluded.
Hathurusingha played 35 One-day Internationals and 26 Test for Sri Lanka after making his debut in 1991 against New Zealand.
The right-handed batsman scored 1,274 in Tests and bagged 17 wickets eventually in 44 innings with his medium-pace bowling.