Bangladesh bowling lacks consistency, says coach Courtney Walsh

Courtney Walsh

Bangladesh interim coach Courtney Walsh today urged his bowlers to bring consistency to a must-win Twenty20 showdown against Sri Lanka that will book the victors a berth in the tri-series final. The T20 minnows have triumphed in just one of their matches in Colombo, with their bowlers struggling in batting-friendly conditions throughout the tournament at R. Premadasa Stadium. Rubel Hossain has displayed the most consistency with four wickets but paceman Mustafizur Rahman has proved costly with an economy rate of close to 10.

The winner of Friday's final league match will book a title clash with powerhouse India, and Walsh expects the best from his wards. "The bowlers have not bowled consistently as we would have liked but that does not mean they are bad bowlers overnight," Walsh told reporters in Colombo. "The improvement is coming but probably not quick as we would have liked. "It is different conditions and they are trying to get it right." The West Indian great said he hoped Mustafizur "comes back to his best", adding he showed moments of brilliance in the Pakistan Super League.

Walsh, who has been working with Bangladesh's bowlers since 2016, was assigned coach for the tri-series after Chandika Hathurusingha quit. The Sri Lankan native left after three years and returned to lead his home side, who went on to thrash Bangladesh in all three formats of the game in an away series earlier this year. Bangladesh have found form in Test and one-day cricket, notching some big wins over top-ranked sides. But the minnows have failed in the shortest format, losing 10 of their last 12 matches.

Walsh, 55, insists that coaching staff were working to improve consistency. "There is a lot of planning behind the scenes as to how we want to play and approach. We need to convince the players as to what we think is the best," he said. "At the end of the day, the players and the coaching staff know what is the best for Bangladesh cricket." Hathurusingha said his side, who won their opener against India, would not bow to pressure. "It's a very crucial game, but we're preparing as normal. The advantage we had is that we played them recently," he said. "We know a lot about them and they know a lot about us as well. There's nothing that both things can do as far as surprises go."

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