Batting coach Hemp is disappointed with the missed opportunities

The batting of the Bangladesh team in the T20 World Cup has disappointed the most. In the entire tournament, Bangladesh's runs have crossed half a hundred only once. In a WhatsApp interview with livecricketbd from Melbourne yesterday, the team's batting coach David Hemp explained the reason for the batting failure to Mohammad Zubair.

Question: What were your expectations for the T20 World Cup and how far have they been fulfilled?

David Hemp: Bangladesh have produced one of the best performances in their World Cup history this time. Going to Super Eight was a pleasure for us. But the missed opportunity was disappointing. We missed two very good opportunities. A 4-run loss against South Africa, who later played the final. Defeated by 8 runs against Afghanistan, who played the semi-final. If Bangladesh could have won 5 matches, imagine how the result would have been. That would certainly be a great achievement for us. All in all, mixed feelings. Happy to be able to go to Super Eight. But also a bit disappointed not to be able to win two more matches despite coming very close.

Question: How to evaluate the team's batting in the World Cup?

Hemp: Everyone has seen what the World Cup wickets looked like. Batsmen of other teams also suffered. There was no exception in our case. You have seen how the challenge was in New York. Batting in the floodlights at St Vincent's was very difficult. There was sim movement, there was also spin. We played on that field even during the day. There was a big difference between day and night play. Antigua was too good for batting. Still, it was difficult to adapt.

Question: The Bangladesh team must have had an idea about the wickets of the World Cup venues. Still why this consistent batting failure?
Hemp: Look, in any field you're going to want to pull data from past stats. Look at the shape of the field wicket before the game. Take an idea from there. But when the match starts, you have to understand the conditions and try to play, adapt quickly. Wind is very important in the West Indies field. As the fields are open on one side, the wind has an effect. We discussed it. Batsmen have to play with a certain direction of the field in mind, so do bowlers.

Rashn: What about Nazmul Hossain and Liton Das's successive failures?
Hemp: Look, T20 is a game where you have to make decisions very quickly. Everything around happens fast. The match has to be moved quickly. To do that, you need to step away from what you need to do to get back into the rhythm. Like you, we were expecting the same. It was discussed among the team's batting group after reaching the Super Eight. But let's not forget, we played against two big teams like India and Australia in the beginning. And I have already mentioned the floodlight run chase against Afghanistan. We know how important they (Nazmul and Liton) could have been for us. But sometimes the best players have a bad time in big tournaments. There was no shortage of effort. It was doing the right thing in practice, but it was not reflected on the field.

Question: Bangladesh had a chance to reach the semi-finals if they won in 12.1 overs against Afghanistan. But Bangladesh's batting was not aggressive enough that day. The question has also arisen whether Bangladesh played to win or not...

Hemp: Not so much. The mentality of the team was always the same—play for wins, play for runs. The boys played to win and that was our mentality. The entire World Cup was no different.

Question: Bangladesh team will play 8 Tests by next December. How will the cricketers adapt to Tests after consecutive T20 games?

Hemp: The boys are in practice, especially the Test team players. Their camp is going on in Chittagong from earlier. They have been working on the red ball game since the beginning of the camp. Those who were in the World Cup, will join it after two weeks of rest. We will come and work on their red ball game. I will organize some three-day matches by dividing the cricketers into two teams. These are all part of our preparations. And let me tell you about the mentality. You have to make good decisions in the long run. That is the difference. Patience should be shown. Hopefully the warm-up matches will bring the boys into that mindset.