Psychologist Alan Brown joins Bangladesh team to strengthen mental prowess

Renowned psychologist Alan Brown has joined the Bangladesh cricket team, accompanied by head coach Chandika Hathurusingha. Arriving in Dhaka recently, Brown wasted no time in immersing himself in his new role. Today, he made his way to the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, where the team was gearing up for an afternoon practice session.

Brown’s primary objective is to enhance the mental strength of the players as they prepare for the upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan, scheduled to commence on June 14. Over the course of his two-week tenure, Brown will focus on key aspects such as mental resilience, motivation, and teamwork, working closely with the Tigers to optimize their performance.

Meanwhile, the rest of the coaching staff, including pace-bowling coach Allan Donald and spin coach Rangana Herath, have already joined the training camp. The selectors are expected to finalize the squad by June 6. Additionally, performance analyst Shrinivas Chandrasekaran, who previously worked with the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, will be joining the team tomorrow to further enhance their strategic preparations.

Since 2019, Afif Hossain Dhrub has become the regular face of the Bangladesh team in colorful clothes. But he was dropped from the national team after playing only five matches under Hathurusingha. Despite playing in the series against England, Afif is not in the team for the series against Ireland. Why was this talented batter left out? Hathuru discussed this in a press conference before the T20 series against Ireland. When asked whether Afif has been ruled out for the performance, the Lankan coach said, ‘Of course—dropped not because of looks, but because of performance. Anyone dropped is due to performance. Sometimes again for strategic reasons.’Can Afif be left out of the national team again? The Tigers’ coach’s aid and performance will give them another opportunity.

Hathuru said, “He is out of the party now. He has to do what he needs to do now. have to run I talked to him about improvement in some areas. If he can, he will get a chance like everyone else the team needs.’Under Afif Hathuru, who has become a symbol of confidence in the Bangladesh team, he has scored only 64 runs in 16 matches in 5. His highest was 23. Before that, he averaged 1,498 runs in 82 matches at 24.55. Afif, whose performance deteriorated, was therefore forced out. Moreover, several new stars have also emerged now. Afif has fallen somewhat behind the rise of Tawhid Hridand ay and Nazmul Hossain Shantos.

Chandika Hathurusingher, the head coach of the Bangladesh cricket team, played the first assignment of the second term. Despite not being able to in the ODI, the Tigers killed the Three Lions in the T20. The team whose name appeared in the T20 cancellation book earlier, wrote a different story this time. The credit goes to the coach. Chandika Hathurusinghe made a habit of defeating big teams. No matter the opponent or the format, the Tigers fought evenly. Bangladesh has made the home field a kind of fortress. India, Pakistan, Australia, or South Africa – the big teams could not return with a smile from these countries. When Bangladesh is in crisis with the coach, BCB once again approached Hathurusingha. The Lankan was brought back in the second term. Although many people raised questions about his appointment.

But as the saying goes, old rice grows into rice. The proverb is proven once again. Before the start of the series, the BCB president himself was skeptical about the Bangladesh team in T20. However, he was confident that he would do well in ODIs. But it is the opposite. There was a chance to win the ODI series. Tamim’s team could not do that. But Shakib killed the world champions with the Ankora team in T20. Defeating the world champions in a format Bangladesh was considered to be the weakest in was certainly a huge achievement. A coach can change the face of a team, England is proof of that. The Three Lions have redefined the Test game by appointing the aggressive Brendon McCullum in his playing career. Hathurusinghe played that role in the case of Bangladesh. When a T20I team beats the world champions, credit must be given to the coach. Of course, the selectors also deserve praise. Despite the criticism, Nannu-Bashar remained steadfast in their decision. How Hathurusingha’s second chapter will fare in the long run remains to be seen. But it can be said for sure, such a start will make the fans dream about the T20 team as well.

Chandika Hathurusingha was also part of the selection panel when he was the coach of the national team in the first round. The coach had a big influence on the national team elections.

Will Hathurusingha, who took over as the coach of the national team for the second time, be part of the coaching panel this time too?

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Nazmul Hasan Papon said that the coach is always consulted in the selection of the team. No team is given without talking to the captain. Hathurusingha’s input in the party elections is a little less likely now. Maybe he’s not watching the games that way. Maybe he will propose to see the game in front of him.

The BCB president also said, “Basically, what will happen here is that the selectors will talk to the coach and the captain and form a team. If the coach-captain has any suggestions to build the team, the selectors will see them. One to two players can change. Nothing else. However, the best XI will be arranged by the captain. No one else has anything to do with arranging the XI.

“Earlier, we had a selection panel comprising selectors, managers, captains, and team directors. At the moment, to the best of my knowledge, it is not followed. But the conversation is with everyone. The main role here is to talk to the selectors, the captain, and the coach. At the moment, I don’t think the coach will say anything. He might have a suggestion if he sees a few games.