DHAKA, Oct 24, 2020 (BSS)—Russell Domingo, the head coach of the national cricket team, urged all to be patient on the players of the Under-19 team, who showed mixed performance in the BCB President’s Cup.
The players of the Under-19 World Cup winning team have played with Tamim, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur in the BCB President’s Cup this time and Domingo had a chance to observe them closely. He was impressed by the performances of Towhid Ridoy, Rishad Hossain and Mahmudul Hasan Joy. But Domingo thinks they need to be handled properly before giving them a chance to play in the national team. He also urged young cricketers to be more patient.
“I think it is really important that you give the U19 players as much time as possible to develop. What you don’t want to do is pick a young player, especially a batsman, too soon, he has a few failures and you drop him for two or three years and forget about him,” Domingo said during a virtual press conference.
Expectation is high on these youngsters who some months ago won the Under-19 World Cup. While some youngsters showed really good performance in the BCB President’s Cup, some of the players like World Champion Under-19 captain Akbar Ali frustrated many.
“So you’d rather want to make sure that the player gets selected when he is ready to perform in international cricket. Getting into the national side must be hard. You can’t just pick anybody to play for your national side. That guy has to put in some big domestic performances, and make sure he is disciplined in training and fitness, the way he leads his life and fits into the team culture,” Domingo added.
Domingo also clarified that there is a vast difference between the Under-19 team and national team, so the young players should be handled in a proper way.
“Unless the guy is an exceptional talent to chuck an U19 straight into the squad, because there’s a big difference between U19 and international cricket,” he said.
“ Facing an U19 bowler in South Africa doesn’t prepare him to face Jofra Archer at Lord’s or Starc at the WACA. It is a big step. You have to be patient with these players, whilst providing them with the right opportunities to develop. Take them on the odd tour to train with guys, see what it’s like. But not necessarily pick them. You don’t want to rush them too soon because you can destroy some promising careers if you do that,” he warned.